


Hit the Panic Button

by overworkedunderwhelmed



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Angst with a Happy Ending, But make no doubt of the endgame, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Have to deal with the canon we've got, I'm Sorry, Identity Reveal, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Post-New York Special, Post-Season/Series 03, Slow Burn, Spoilers for Season 3 and New York Special, slower burn anyways
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:41:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 33,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26664616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/overworkedunderwhelmed/pseuds/overworkedunderwhelmed
Summary: When all the duties of playing Guardian and the teenage superhero has taken it's toll on Marinette, Adrien was quick to lend a hand.He didn't expect it would cause all the walls to fall so quickly.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 655
Kudos: 956





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Not beta read yet. I'm on vacation. It will happen later (while I'm brainstorming more here.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to marvelousmsmol for beta reading!

In retrospect, he should have known. Between her Guardian duties, the design work, schoolwork, and suddenly having to protect all her holders as Hawkmoth started to target them each one by one, it should have come as no surprise that Marinette had run herself to the point of exhaustion.

After she had fainted in class and couldn't easily be roused, Adrien dutifully volunteered to carry his friend to the nurse. Under the direction of the nurse, he set her onto the bed as gently as he could. However, that didn't keep her purse from accidentally spilling onto the ground.

Luckily, almost everything stayed inside...

It was only a tiny black cat charm tumbled out. A very _familiar_ one.

Eyed wide, Adrien frantically popped it back into her purse. Hand over his mouth, he raced out of the room, mulling the possibilities, and setting his hand over his stomach to quiet the anxious tide of butterflies rising in his gut.

He glanced back over his shoulder into the nurses office. He really couldn’t help himself, not with Marinette looking so frail...

Not if she was really...

Shaking his head, Adrien sped down the hall. When the coast was clear, he quickly ducked into the bathroom. Transforming only after he was sure the room was clear, he slipped out onto the ledge near the window where she was resting.

Shutting his eyes, he tilted his head. Perking every ear he had to listen intently, Chat Noir held his breath and pressed the red-spotted button.

And _hoped_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to marvelousmsmol for beta reading!

After a hasty check of her phone alerts to ensure she hadn’t missed an attack, Marinette sighed, slowly trudging up the stairs to her room. 

Rubbing her eyes, Marinette stumbled as she climbed up to her loft bed and flopped onto the mattress on her stomach, purse still hanging from her shoulder. She didn’t even bother to bury herself under the covers; after all, she was bound to fall asleep easily enough without it.

“I don’t get it, Tikki,” She murmured, yawning against her pillow. “I didn’t think I was so tired.”

“Well, you were up late…” Tikki sighed, hovering over her shoulder, gently patting her hair out of her face. “We both were again.”

Marinette snorted. “That isn’t exactly anything new.”

She remembered the mad dash to school after the second Akuma battle of the day had struck before 9 am. Then it was a bit of a blur until after she had woken up in the infirmary at the end of the day. The nurse had jostled her awake when her parents had both arrived to walk her home.

Her shoulders slumped, but her worrying didn’t let the tension easily slip away. Her parents had both been so worried about her, they both had closed up the bakery to walk the few blocks there and pick her up.

She rolled over onto her back, grabbing an edge of the comforter as she did. If she was still this worn out, she definitely needed to sneak in another nap before dinner. Then after she had some food maybe she could attempt to tackle the assignments Alya had texted to her.

“Marinette!” Tikki hissed, lowering her high-pitched voice as much as possible, to not alert her parents over the clattering of dishes in the kitchen below.

Brows furrowed into a frown, she hauled herself up with a grunt of effort. “What’s up?”

Tikki hovered wide-eyed over her desk, pointing at what looked like a flower leaning against a small envelope.

Squinting, Marinette scurried down as fast as her weary legs would allow. 

“Oh,” Tikki gasped, shaking her tiny head furiously. “Marinette, this can’t be good.” 

Marinette’s brows furrowed as she scurried over the last few steps on even ground, snagging the envelope into her grasp. “How would it even have…?”

Her words trailed off as her gaze fell on the color of the flower. A yellow rose. 

Without thinking her, eyes darted over to where she had another just like it, pressed, dried, and tucked in one of the books on her shelf.

But, that was nothing to the tiny green paw print stamp on the seal of the envelope.

Her heart thudded to a halt, leaving her gasping for air as her eyes stumbled over the words. Her shoulders went rigid.

_I know who you are._

_I purromise I didn’t mean to find out._

_You were sick and I had to make sure you were okay._

Gaping, Marinette dropped back into her desk chair. Her heart had spun into motion again, racing frantically as if she was in the middle of a battle to save Paris from the direst of fates.

It wasn’t far from the truth.

“Tikki,” she breathed.

Tikki cuddled up against her, trying to help her stay steady and calm. Only there were no words of wisdom and comfort trickling over her lips.

Squaring her shoulders, her eyes dropped back to the page.

I wish you would lean on me more. I can’t stand that you got to this point before I even noticed.

The secrets...the Guardianship. All of that was her burden to bear. It was her job to make sure all of the holders, including Chat Noir stayed safe. To keep everyone safe to fight on at her side.

_You can have the ring if you need it._

“No… Not going to happen.” Shaking her head furiously, Marinette turned away pushing the letter as far from her as possible as she wheeled the chair back from her desk. Tired as she was, she was up on her feet, pacing the short length of her room. She braced her arms around her stomach against the chill that was rocking her core. “ _Never again_.”

Her gaze flitted around the room, puzzling for some truly miraculous inspiration on how to get out of this impossible mess, only to come up empty again and again. Her eyes squeezed shut.

They both had fought so long and hard to keep themselves masked. To keep themselves and all they loved safe.

Was it really all for naught?

Tikki peered up at her dolefully from the desk.

Exhausted all the more, she slowly sat back down at her desk, tormenting herself by reading his words over again.

_Please know that no matter what you decide, I will still do all I can to protect you…_

_even if it can only ever be as myself._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to marvelousmsmol for beta reading!

Chat Noir was the first to land on the rooftop where they often met up for patrols. Of course, that was nothing new. Considering who it was that had been hiding behind the red-spotted mask, even that made all too much sense. 

All those late nights she said she’d spent designing after stumbling into school in the morning... Marinette _never_ did lie, did she? Sometimes she designed sure. But no one else knew better how Ladybug’s contingency plans often even had their own contingency plans.

Baton balance in his hand for the sheer comfort of familiarity, he anxiously paced the ridge of the rooftop.

In those first few moments when he heard that squeaky mew from the other side of the window, he’d been _ecstatic_. 

_Everything_ made entirely too much sense. 

His heart had _always_ felt at ease with Marinette. Her frequent klutziness had reminded him of those earliest days with Ladybug. Her creativity was amazing, and would only improve before she could strike it out on her own. 

The weight of the baton spun in his hand as he headed back the way he came. 

He’d had no doubt that her ploy as Multimouse was her own. Even after belatedly realizing that Ladybug had feigned two of her, he was impressed. If anyone could have managed it, he had no doubt it was her. 

Wielding even two Miraculous at once hadn’t been easy, but Marinette had handled Multimouse like she had been born to it.

As for her kindness and generosity...well, he’d already told her as much.

She’d been shocked — understandably — when he’d called her their Everyday Ladybug. Sure, she hadn’t been to do all she’d promised, but everyone had tried to step in and fill that gap, to lighten the load on her shoulders.

No one really knew what a heavy load she’d really been carrying. 

The soft kiss she pressed to his cheek that day was a treasure he kept to cherish in those doubt-filled moments. 

Absently, his hand rubbed his cheek, flushing slightly at the memory. 

Knowing that such an amazing friend was Ladybug, it only made him want to keep her that much more safe.

She was putting so much love, and kindness, and creative energy out into the world.

What was he doing? Posing for pictures? Almost anyone could do that.

It certainly was _never enough_ for Father.

Of course, Marinette didn’t know he was Chat Noir, either. Of all the girls he knew, she was the only one who had ever pushed him away when he’d dared to get close. 

His claws ruffled the soft curls at the nape of his neck, gently pricking at the exposed skin.

Maybe that was the strongest evidence so far. Marinette might have valued his friendship, but it was clear that was all she ever wanted from him.

And, he had gone and damaged even that...

Never before had he been happier to have eaten an evening meal alone. 

_She_ was going to be disappointed in him. She _had to_ be. 

He stopped, rattling the rooftop door open, confirming he could make his own way home...just in case. It wasn’t a sure thing that Plagg would be taken away, but he trusted her to do what was right.

After New York he had only doubled his efforts, working as hard as he could to earn back her trust. She had trusted him once, but it was left cracked and broken, a fragile thing to repair. 

Her Lucky Charm only ever worked on a specific Akuma, not on friendships.

With a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumped, his ears pointing back. 

He really was much better at destruction.

The rush of the wind and a blur of red was his only hint of her arrival. His eyes squeezed shut as the tingle of adrenaline shot through his veins, willing him to flee. That had to be Plagg, calling for him not to give up his powers again.

But, now that was out of both of their hands.

Hesitantly, he opened one eye, watching the careful look in her blue eyes as she slowly stepped close.

Chat Noir gulped loudly, choking on every word of apology that couldn’t come out fast enough. 

Lucky for them both, she filled the silence. “Thank you for telling me.”

Silently, he extended his hand to her, ring for the taking. His heart was caught in his throat.

Without hesitation, she firmly closed his claws, setting her own gloved hand on top. “Please, keep it. There’s no way I would do all of this without you.” 

Exhaling a sigh of relief, he felt the weight being lifted from his shoulders. His eyes strayed up to the moon peering from out behind the clouds.

“I wouldn’t ever want to take Plagg from you.” Ladybug stood on her tiptoes, tugging him the biggest hug she could, and murmured into his shoulder. “Paris can’t afford not having both of us at our best. We’ll get through this,” “ _Somehow_.”

Gulping, he pulled back to the edge of her grasp. “Then you do need to know who I am. It’s too risky for you to not know.”

Ladybug, hesitated biting her lip gently as she peered up at him. He knew that look well, as she scanned his face for some clue that would set this all back to rights. Finally, she shook her head. “It’s still safer to keep you hidden. For the rest of the world, no one can have any idea that anything is changed. My family...my friends. All of their safety depends on it.”

“Then you need to lean on me more.” His hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently. “Please. _Knowing…_ ” He closed his eyes, shaking his head, before he faced those too clever eyes. “It's all the more important to me to protect _you_.”

A soft smile was on her lips as she gazed up at him. “Let me think about what else you can do to help…”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to KatyaDarlink and Enberlight for the beta read.

Adrien breathed heavily behind the face mask, struggling to catch his breath from the bout he’d just lost. His foil waved hastily in front of his face before settling back into an attack ready position.

It wasn’t for lack of trying, but his heart just wasn’t into it.

Right now, his head was several rooftops away...

Just as he had been frazzled in class, all too focused on the girl sitting behind him and far less on the lesson.

Thank goodness Nino took pity and had already sent him a copy of the notes.

“En-garde!”

Kagami came at him head on, straightforward as always. He countered and then pushed back with a soft grunt of effort. Of course, Kagami took advantage of his being off balance and evened the score.

Maybe things hadn’t really changed for Ladybug.

But knowing she was _Marinette_? That very much changed it all for him.

“Point!”

“Honestly, Adrien.” Frowning, Kagami tugged back her mask. “I thought you were going to fight me seriously…”

His shoulders slumped under her quiet censure. He was going to have to apologize to Kagami later.

Her hand was out, pulling him back up. Raring to go and back in position to fight again.

He shook his head, struggling to regain his focus. With Kagami, speed was always the key. She liked to cut straight to the heart of the matter.

However, Marinette didn’t always attack things head on -- never as Ladybug in fact. That unpredictability was key. He had learned to read it quickly, acting as her echo and her _foil_ in equal measure.

He grinned, finally pushing past Kagami’s guard and scoring a point.

* * *

It always has been Ladybug, through and through. When it had always counted, she had trusted him...far more than he sometimes trusted himself.

Marinette was never just a friend. The sweet feelings whenever she was around. Whenever she went to bat for anyone and everyone. Without the benefit of magical armor armor guarding her heart, she wielded only the strength of her convictions.

He shucked off his helmet, setting it down in his hands. 

What made this hard was that he understood Kagami. He often still felt just as lonely as she did. 

In his heart, he knew that his friendship with her and his friendship with Marinette just wasn't the same.

Unfortunately for both of them, that battle was long over, before he’d even started.

Marinette might not have loved him like he loved her. But she still _needed_ him. She built him up. She trusted him. She refused to leave him, even after she’d brought extra hands to help.

Sweet as she could be, it had always been Marinette who had held him at a distance. Marinette turning away his flowers. Marinette who saw his paltry efforts after her heart and still let him down as gently as she could.

After nearly everyone else in his life had left or kept him at arm's length, it was Ladybug’s distance and the loss of her trust that had hurt the most.

_She_ was the one who mattered the most to him. Her opinion. Her happiness.

His brows furrowed.

Her well-being.

Slowly, he peeled away his uniform, freeing his arms from the sleeves and tugging the pants down over his feet. Was it fair of him to still keep dragging things out with Kagami, now that he knew? To give her some sort of false hope when he knew all too well that his heart was already lost? 

Wincing, Adrien raked a hand through his hair, shaking out the pooling sheen of sweat. He hated to see his friends hurt; he liked being the cause even less. 

He picked up the uniform from the ground and stowed it into his gym bag. 

What he was about to tell her was going to _hurt_ her. 

For all she put up a brave face, there wasn’t the slightest bit of doubt in his mind that Kagami was going to see this as a loss. 

But this one battle lost only meant that she would survive to fight the next one. Kagami should be allowed to feel that same love and affection back that she deserved, not be limited to his endlessly divided attention.

No matter what happened from here on in, they were friends. Even if she needed some time or some space to find her center, he would still fight like crazy for her, if she ever needed it. 

Whether she liked it or not, he wasn’t about to abandon her. 

Right now, though, he was going to need to protect Marinette more. He had no other choice. Without Ladybug, there was no point to him being Chat Noir. 

WIthout Ladybug, the whole of Paris would fall to ruin.

And she would take his heart right along with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all have no idea how anxious this chapter has made me...


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Subtly bumps the chapter number up to 20. I know I've been quieter for a few a days, but I've been busy. All 20 of those have plot right now, but I'm infamous for being way more wordy and taking more chapters, so take that as you will. :D
> 
> Big thanks to deinde-prandium for beta reading! You're the best!

“Chat Noir!” Marinette gasped as he popped his head into her room, sitting up straight as the draft blew in. “I-- I didn’t expect to see you. Not after you already checked on me once tonight.”

He slid down the ladder to crouch at the far edge of her bed, eyeing her suspiciously. “I _did_.”

She folded her arms across her chest in annoyance. “You even wouldn’t let me come on patrol.” 

“You know very well I would have loved to run around with you. However, I only went out on a solo patrol because _someone_ clearly needed her rest.” His eyes narrowed. “And yet you’re clearly _still_ awake.”

Her brows rose in challenge as she gestured down at the blanket covering her legs. “Yes, but I am _in_ bed. I’m even tucked in.”

“But you’re awake.” His eyes followed her anxious gaze to the small red book cover sticking out from beneath her pillow. “Don’t think I didn’t see the notebook you’ve got half tucked under your pillow. Planning isn’t _resting_ , Marinette.”

“I can’t _rest_ if I’m worried about _you_!” She hissed, hands smacking against the mattress emphatically. “You _know_ I need to have a plan. All of this has only made me more exposed.”

“You think I’m not already worried about you, too?” He chided, frown softening. Shaking his head, he crept forward to snag the edge of her comforter and tucked her in more firmly this time around. 

She watched him as he extended his baton out to gently shut off the light switch. Her gaze was sharp, nose wrinkled up as she debated whether or not it was worth it to fight him on this. The stormy blue of her eyes held such a warring mix of concern and amused irritation that was every bit the Ladybug he knew and loved so well. 

It only made his smile grow fonder as he slowly inched off her mattress. “Only one of us was supposed to be the brains of this operation. And that will only be most effective if you get some rest.”

She sighed heavily. “I guess.”

Beaming, he retreated back up the ladder to her skylight door. “You always have the best plans, Marinette, even if they only can come together at the last minute. I will always trust it to come together when we need it.”

Marinette watched him silently for a few seconds more before shutting her eyes, turning onto one side. “Good night, Chat Noir.”

He grinned back at her, even if she couldn’t see it. “Good night.”

Quietly, he scurried through the hatch, but lingered for a little while out on her balcony. Just in case.

He smiled as he heard Tikki’s soft chirp. “He’s right you know…”

“Ugh.” She grumbled. “Not you, too, Tikki!”

* * *

Adrien fidgeting in his seat, waiting with baited breath for Marinette’s usual race into the classroom before the morning sessions would start. 

After last night, he needed to know that his sacrifices were worth it. He even came in a little earlier than usual for him, hoping that Marinette had managed to slip off into dreamland even before he arrived there himself.

Much to his chagrin, when she did finally appear in the doorway it was a slow stumble. 

Yawning, she absently dropped her book bag beside her desk with a heavy thud.

“Hey, Marinette!”

“Good Morning!”

Nodded and beaming at the chorus of welcomes, her expression was clearly still a little dazed and unfocused.

His shoulders slumped, Adrien sat back in his seat. Clearly, the direct approach wasn’t always the best with his partner.

“Another late night working on designs?” Alya murmured.

He leaned back in his seat, drawing as close as he dared to listen in.

A breathy sigh tripped past Marinette’s lips. “I can’t really help it. Not when I’m inspired…” 

“By someone we know…?” Alya pressed, more than a hint of meaning dripping from her tone.

Adrien flinched. He _had_ forgotten, hadn’t he? Marinette still had someone else in her heart, after all. 

Gripping his seat a little more tightly and shuffling forward was all Adrien could do not to turn around, anxious to understand some hint of the reaction in her eyes.

To his utter relief, Marinette just chuckled. “More like a conversation with a good friend. After that, I was up on my balcony for a while and didn’t bring my phone with me.”

Alya snickered. “You should be inspired to get more sleep, girl.”

As Miss Bustier finally called the class to order, Adrien could do little more than bite his lip to hold back his own strong words of agreement. 

* * *

Adrien shook his head, templing his head against his fist as he hastily scrawled down notes. His eyes skipped up again to the clock, watching the final few minutes of the session slowly tick away.

In his few years of public school, he couldn’t recall a time when class ever seemed _this_ hard.

The material itself wasn’t challenging. At least he had already gone through the novel with Nathalie before transferring to François Dupont.

What was tying him into knots? 

The struggle was his attempt to cover both Miss Bustier’s points and to puzzle out some way to let her actually lean on him more. She seemed to listen -- even if only begrudgingly -- when he was around.

Much as he hated to admit it, that just wasn’t possible. Not all the time, especially when she only listened to Chat Noir. 

_Especially_ as she refused to know who he really was.

Adrien frowned, tapping his pencil on the page. It probably would have been easier, if he could have actually fought down the urge to keep subtly peering back over his shoulder. Not for the first time this hour, Marinette yawned and not-so-subtly stretched throughout the class.

In spite of everything, it was clear that she was still pushing herself too far. Now that she knew he knew, he could swear that Marinette only kept pushing herself harder. Like by sheer force of will, she was that much more intent to keep him safe.

Stubborn as she was, Marinette wouldn’t really rest. Not until she felt like Ladybug held the advantage when they went into battle.

Once they were dismissed, Adrien gathered up his books as quickly as possible. 

Timing it so he could stand up and catch Marinette as she walked out herself, he prepared himself with the best excuse he could think of to keep her at his side. 

Smiling, he stood up as she passed his desk. “Hey, Marinette!”

She halted in place, slowly peering back at him with wide eyes. “Is what it?”

His lips curved upwards a tiny bit more. “Do you want to work on the homework together?”

She gaped at him for a moment before her head tilted with a sweet smile. “That would be nice.”

His own smile widened as he pulled out his phone to access his schedule for the day. There was a Kitty Section practice that evening. He had already cleared any conflicts with Nathalie so he could make that.

“Oh!” She gasped, the familiar signs of a whirlwind of panic racing across her face. “But I’ve got…” Her grin grew wide, far wider than usual. He’d seen it from her before, when she had to quickly make excuses and make her own escape. “I've got to help my Mom today with this _crazy_ catering order that just came in this morning.”

“Oh…” Adrien’s shoulders fell, as he fell a step or two behind her steady stride. Of _course_ it wouldn’t be _that_ easy.

She didn’t notice. Not until she blinked, swinging her head wildly to find his. “Another time, maybe?”

He smiled back at her, helpless to offer more than Adrien ever had offered her before. “Sure…”

* * *

“It is _bugging_ me.” Chat Noir pouted, petulantly leaning against the rooftop beside her. “All puns _definitely_ intended.”

For all that she had promised him she would lean, she really hadn’t started to ask for help on either side of the mask. She hadn’t even showed up at the Kitty Section practice. Luka had confirmed that wasn’t exactly a new occurrence.

“Chat…” She grumbled, rubbing her hands over her face. “I’m just really not used to this. I’ve just had to be self-reliant for so long.”

His eyes narrowed as he sat up, “Except you don’t have to be now. You don’t have to shoulder all of the burden. That’s why I’m here, too. Do you think I wouldn’t race back to you if you needed me?”

“I do know, Chaton.” Ladybug peered over at him. “That’s why Tikki and I were talking for a long time tonight.”

His ears perked, looking over at her to match her steady gaze. “You have a plan?”

She smiled conspiratorially. “Think you could drop by the balcony for a bit later?”

His shoulders shrugged. “We could head there now. My evening is entirely _fur_ -ee, M’Lady.”

Ladybug snorted, pushing his nose back where he had again snuck in close to her personal space. “I was _hoping_ you could find something warm to wear, first.”

Blinking, Chat Noir sat up. His transformation kept him plenty warm against the elements.

Which meant, the only reason he needed to dress warmly was _because_ …

Because she needed him to be _de-transformed_.

His eyes widened. Baton in his hand, his mind was racing, already puzzling the most direct route home. “Give me 15 minutes, and I’ll meet you there.” 

* * *

Of all the ways he’d thought he would be revealed to Ladybug -- to Marinette -- he had never before considered the possibility of him being bundled in his own jacket and then burrowed beneath a comforter that smelled distinctly like her.

She had wrapped it around him and then leaned back to back against him on the other side of her lounger chair.

“Call out Plagg.”

Confused, he called his transformation off, surprised when Plagg quickly darted off.

He could hear the Kwami whispering off on the far side of the balcony, but Marinette had leaned back against him. The steadiness of her breathing and the soft warmth that seeped between the blankets between them was far more of a relief than he’d been expecting.

Then again, Marinette always was a little more than he’d ever expected.

After a few minutes, Plagg reappeared, a satisfied smirk on his face. 

“Pull yourself together, Chat,” she whispered, reaching back to pat his hand with hers. Even as close as they had already been, that tiny comforting touch was dizzyingly electric, leaving his nerves dancing with life even after she pulled her hand away. “Tikki and I have a little surprise for you.”

He stood up keeping the blanket around his shoulders until he whispered, “Plagg, claws out.”

After wrapping his now discarded blanket around her shoulders, Chat Noir settled down beside Marinette.

Her hands opened up, showing the tiny meowing cat charm and his own tiny Ladybug button. 

Blinking, he felt his pocket, surprised at the sudden loss. Even though Plagg had refused to share details as he scrambled over here a short while ago, it was clear he had puzzled Tikki’s plan out.

Uncertain, he glanced into her eyes, silently asking for clarity. After all, the buttons we’re exactly new. 

He gaped boyishly. “I get my own Chat phone?”

Marinette laughed aloud. “Not _exactly_. The little cat charm is still mine. The ladybug one is yours.”

He grinned. “Clearly, I got the better part of this deal, then.” He held his hand out, waiting for her to place the tiny red charm on his palm. 

As soon as she did, she pointedly squeezed the little cat charm still in her hand.

The button wings fluttered to life beneath his fingertips. His gaze darted up to her, gaping. “It’s two way?” 

Marinette nodded, smiling as she pressed the button once again, holding it close to where she held the blanket closed in front of her chest. “Our Kwami will also feel the pull if we can’t carry these around all the time and can alert us. Like when we’re _both_ supposed to besleeping.”

Gleefully, he pressed the button to alert her charm once again. 

“I can’t promise I can always race here whenever you call my little _bug’s ear_ ,” Chat beamed as his pun, before growing serious, “but I will at least call, whenever you need me. Even if it is just to plan something out. As soon as I can possibly transform.”

Marinette smiled softly, her fingertips skating once again over the back of his palm. “I know you will, Chaton.” 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This short installment is only beta read by me for the moment. Work has kept me insanely busy of late.

Adrien sighed heavily as he watched the streets of Paris rushing by. 

His hand lingered beside his pocket, anxiously waiting for the slightest sign of fluttering from the wings of the Ladybug charm in his pocket. Even though he’d only had it a few hours now, he was already seeking out its comfort as he sat in the back of the sedan on the way into school from yet another early morning photoshoot.

Of course, it seemed like a watched _Chat phone_ never rang.

Well, Adrien amended, a _bug's ear_ never fluttered, anyways. 

As delighted as he was to quite literally have a certain _Ladybug’s ear_ — and to grant his in return, of course — he still found himself wishing that the _Chat Phone _still should have been his. It would have been so much easier to keep Plagg’s presence hidden when he spent most every afternoon napping in his school bag.__

Strictly, speaking, the device couldn’t be _watched_ for too long either. At least, that much had become clear to him. 

Eyes narrowed, Adrien peered up at his two guardians in the front seat. When he was certain that Nathalie was paying far more attention to her tablet then to him, he dared to tug it from his pocket

____

Smile softening, Adrien’s thumb traced over the familiar string of pink and green beads of Marinette’s lucky charm. He already carried her charm everywhere already. To his mind, there was truly no better place for him to keep it.

____

These days in Paris, hardly anyone would think twice about a tiny Ladybug charm. 

____

Any one who knew him well probably wouldn’t question him wishing for a little more luck in his life.

____

Adrien held the charm tightly in his hand, hugging it close to his chest, before sticking it safely back into his jeans pocket.

____

It was going to be hard to keep it tucked away. He just needed to be extra careful with it at school. 

____

As truly happy as he was knowing that Marinette sat right behind him, she was also the only one who would know what it _truly_ was in an instant. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta read by tentativesapling. Thank you!

Yawning wearily, Marinette opened the door of their house, locking up before she left. The sun was shining brightly. Unfortunately, that only made it more of a challenge to keep her eyes open.

Unlike most days, she hadn’t been woken up today at daybreak to fight another Akuma, so she had a little time to spare to not have to sprint into class. 

Which was really nice, considering she’d already lost her battle with her concealer this morning pretending, putting up a valiant fight to mask all the hours she hadn’t slept. 

Straightening her school bag on her shoulder, she checked her phone as she headed off towards school. At least she didn’t really have to sprint into school for once, which gave her a few more free moments to think.

She and Tikki had still been up till all hours, puzzling out every possible way to keep Chat safe. They still needed to work this evening to plan out possible contingencies for their contingencies just in case Chat Noir got turned against her again, against his will.

With Hawkmoth and Mayura growing more powerful by the day, they needed to be ready for _anything_.

A heavy sigh slid past her lips as she squared her shoulders and trudged up the steps to school. 

Chat Noir wasn’t going to like being left out. She and Tikki had wasted a whole hour going round and round on whether or not to call him.

He had asked her to lean on him, and she was _sorely_ tempted.

However, that didn’t change the fact that she _couldn’t_ ask him. 

There was too much risk he might inadvertently tell her too much. It was hard enough sometimes not to wonder a bit more about the boy who was behind that mask. 

In spite of everything, she already knew a lot about him. She knew home wasn’t happy for him. She knew he’d rather be out running with her. She knew he was about her age. She knew he could afford more than his share of roses in Paris, even when they weren’t exactly in season.

Even that was more than enough to let her imagination run wild, but only if she let it.

In that tense moment in New York, it had been hard enough for her to try to understand why he had been so reluctant to tell her when he also left Paris. It was another thing entirely to wonder just how it was that he had even been close enough to be in that museum in the first place.

She shook her head, forcing herself to focus once again as she pushed open the classroom door. 

Ignorance wasn’t just bliss. It was _necessary_ to keep him safe.

Most of her classmates were all smiles, chattering with their seatmates during the last precious few minutes before class. Kim was uncharacteristically quiet, frowning down at his phone. 

Alya was standing up beside Nino hugging his shoulders as she showed him her phone. She caught a flash of the familiar Ladyblog website on her screen.. As she slumped down into her seat, her eyes were inevitably drawn to the seat in front of her. Adrien watched the pair of them with a fondly amused smile.

Masking one final, teary yawned with one hand, Marinette blindly settled her book bag beside her desk with the other.

When her eyes finally slid back open, she finally noticed his smile had been directed back at her. “Good Morning, Marinette.”

Embarrassed, she sunk further down into her seat, her hand lingering before her lips. “Morning, Good Adrien.”

* * *

Though she was growing more fond of Ms. Mendeleiev’s lessons -- especially when she could occasionally even apply them in battle -- today’s topic wasn’t exactly thrilling. Marinette was barely keeping herself from nodding off. 

A few well placed pokes from Alya were the last line in defense to keep her from setting her head down on the desk.

Marinette smiled blearily at Alya, sitting up as straight as she could as she tried valiantly to muddle through.

* * *

In the end, it was only the sudden din of shouts was the only thing that jolted her out of her sleep.

“C’mon, Marinette!” Alya half-shouted, tugging her hand. Panic threaded into her voice as it rose half an octave “Class is _definitely_ over now!”

Blinking, she opened her eyes, tugging her jacket around her more tightly against the sudden chill. “Wha--?”

She didn't get to say anything more. Not before, Adrien suddenly scooped her up out of her chair without hesitation. She could do little more than gape up at him as he waded them both over to the door.

“Oh! Wait!” She shrieked, feelingly blindly at her side. Terrified, she stared up at him, the anxiety momentarily silencing her stutter. “My purse.”

His brows knit as he backtracked through the gathered crowd of classmates, desperate to get out. Bracing his legs, he kept her balanced. “Try and grab it.” 

She nodded, stretching out as far as she could. Her fingers skimming past the chilly water before she could snag the bottom of her purse.

Marinette bit her lip. She wanted to wake up… but not that much.

Paling, she looked down, straightening back into the tiniest ball in his arms as quickly as she could. 

They had to move and fast. Now that she had Tikki in hand, she still needed to find someplace safe to transform.

The water was still rushing in, already up to his shins. Adrien was just reacting, racing on autopilot. He hadn’t ever asked if she could walk. 

She stared up at him in a mix of shock and awe as Adrien helped her set foot down on the first completely dry step.

Blinking, she was a bit dazed as she heard his orange sneakers sloshed noisily as he bounded up the steps beside her.

“Are you okay?” He peered back over his shoulder, naked concern plain as day on his face.

Her gaze snapped up to his. After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded. He grabbed her hand, tugging her along up the flight steps. Most of the class was busy rushing into every available room. “Just trying to make sense of it all.”

Adrien shrugged, ruefully, now safely at the top of the stairs. “Another day, another Akuma, I guess.”

She smiled softly, trailing after him. At least her instincts had been _spot on_ when she had given Adrien a Miraculous. It was just a shame it hadn’t worked out. Even more so that she couldn’t recall even a minute of all the time he said they had spent trying to make it through the battle as Aspik. 

Adrien would have made such an amazing permanent member of the team. _He_ was meant to be a hero. Even if she was doomed to be a horrible mess with him in such close proximity.

She sighed. The fact that he wasn’t allowed to keep it must have saved him.

Hastily, she peered around. The courtyard was otherwise empty. Through the open doors, she could see her school mates, gathered around the windows as they looked out at the rising waters.

From the slightly open door next to the library, it appeared that even Principal Damocles was peering out his own window. 

There was no sign of Adrien. With one final glance back towards Ms. Bustier’s classroom, she decided he must have gone inside as well. 

She raced up the steps to the library, mentally debating where was the best corner to transform. 

They needed to fix this before the water levels rose too high again. Her classmates -- and her parents -- all would be counting on her to turn the tides before they ran out of dry ground. With any luck, she might even be able to defeat the Akuma before anyone noticed she was missing.

“Tikki,” she whispered, as she ducked behind one of the quiet stacks, plucking an aqua macaron from her bag and splitting it with her Kwami. “Power up!”

Grinning, Tikki beamed up at her. “Let’s hurry, Marinette.”

Nodding, Marinette raced towards the window, prepared to swan dive out as soon as she could transform.

After all, she had no doubt that Chat Noir was already waiting for her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to AnxiousCupcake for beta reading!

If the punishing waves were any indication, Ondine was clearly angry.

Aquabug dove down deep below where most of the waters were rushing in, churning more heavily closer to the surface as the water levels rapidly rose. Swimming close to home, she could see that the water was rising rapidly, nearly up to her own balcony. People already clinging to whatever they could.

Even with her powers, it was going to be a challenge to find Chat Noir in all of this. Waves were churning pretty furiously as new waters spilled. Floating cars everywhere just made it all the more dangerous. 

Before she could grab her yoyo, she spotted Kim swimming furiously desperate to get to what must have been Ondine.

 _That_ wasn’t good. Especially considering he didn’t exactly have the air bubble to be able to breathe underwater this time around.

She shook her head, slicing through the waters as fast as she could. Considering how he was looking at his phone earlier, the odds were pretty good that Ondine had to be unhappy with him for some reason.

It took no small amount of effort for her to haul Kim back to the surface as he flailed, clearly losing the breath he had been holding.

Between the water, her own lethargy, and Kim struggling against her, she knew she wasn’t as quick as usual. “You need to go back up, Kim,” she chided. “Even as strong as you are, you have to know you’ll just get hurt down here without powers.”

He looked torn. 

Tilting her head, Aquabug glanced at him fondly, flapping her flippers with even more determination “I need you to help keep the others safe. Not everyone else is as good a swimmer, right?”

Kim looked uncertain, but had at least turned back to backstroke towards school.

“I’m relying on you to keep them safe, Kim.”

Finally, Kim nodded, calling back over his shoulder as he swam back towards the roof of the school. “You’ve got it, Ladybug.”

Aquabug whirled in the water diving down deep to keep the battle as far away from civilians as she could manage before pulling out her yoyo to find Chat Noir.

She was so focused on finding him that she nearly got caught and towed under, getting snagged by one of the underwater whirlpools. 

Lucky for her, a familiar baton extended, right in front of her hand as she was starting to lose her grip on the yoyo.

“You okay, Bug?” Chat Noir’s shout was muffled by the surrounding waters and the churning waters of the whirlpool.

She exhaled sharply, ever more glad of Aquabug’s powers. “That was a little too close.”

“Those whirlpool’s are no joke.” He lifted his baton in his hands at the ready. “But it seems like where Syren goes, those whirlpools aren’t far behind. 

Ladybug nodded, following in his wake.

“It isn’t like you to space out like that, Bugaboo.”

She sighed heavily, “I’ll be okay. _After_ we put this Akuma to rest…”

* * *

The first time around, Syren had been insanely fast in the water. Clearly, she had only gotten stronger.

Either that or Ladybug was still far more worn out than she thought.

Chat Noir zoomed on ahead where he could, while she struggled to keep up. His senses were still stronger, even in the water.

They stuck close to the school. If her theory was right, Syren would be coming from Kim sooner rather than later. 

The water had been still enough that Ladybug hadn’t noticed Syren’s approach. Her sudden, piercing scream echoed through the deep waters with enough force to launch a car at them both. 

AquaBug noticed, but was half a beat too late to react.

Chat Noir took the brunt of the hit, having pushed her out of the way just in time. Urgently, she started to haul him off before the car could finish it’s watery slow fall. 

Concern shook her voice. “You okay, Chat Noir?”

He grunted. “This was _not_ my idea of playing with cars.” 

“Funny.” She grinned wearily, helping him right himself in the water. He had to be mostly okay to be making jokes. “I always thought cats were fond of playing with fish.”

He grinned back at her. “Well, all that noise is a little hard to _tuna_ out.”

She rolled her eyes, before peering around the frame of the car. 

Syren had managed to snag Kim, dragging him down to the deep while they had both been distracted. 

Aquabug scowled. That meant her classmates were also swimming...and most of the rest of Paris as well. “We can hardly find anyone else in the middle of all this. The water is too high and you’re already hurt.”

Frowning, he silently complied, hovering behind her to get the same vantage. “Then, what do you need me to do?”

Ladybug eyed his suit, re-assuring herself there were no injuries before summoning her Lucky Charm. “Syren is staying out of the open. She’s learned not to let herself get pinned down now, but she managed to hide away somewhere.”

“If we can pull Syren out into the open waters, we might be able to play a little _bait_ and switch.”

A soft smile curved AquaChat’s lips before he blinked. “With what?”

She grinned. “With Kim, of course…”

“I don’t understand.” He shook his head, gesturing to where she was quickly swimming away. “She already caught him.”

“Did she?” LB pulling out the fox chain from the Miraculous Egg. “What if she only thought he’d escaped?”

Chat Noir’s eyes lit up, his hand extending out to hers. “Then we know exactly where she would go to check.”

AquaBug nodded, clasping his hand in return. “And we’d have a better idea of where she’s hiding her Akuma.” 

* * *

As soon as the battle was done, Chat Noir forced her to sit back to back with him while they both refueled as the waters rapidly receded.

Marinette breathed more easily, reassured by the soft and steady rise and fall of his back and the even sound of his breaths.

The silence was shaken quickly by the soft, squeaky mew from the purse in her lap.

Panicked, Marinette sat up straight. “What are you doing? 

“So it does still work.”

“Kitty,” she exhaled, leaning back against him more firmly. 

He reached out and held her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I need you to rest. If I can't help any other way, at least let me do this.”

“Chat,” she sighed, leaning back against him. “You’ve already done a lot. You’ve always done a lot” 

“And yet, you’re still really tired.” He whispered. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

Anyways, if he couldn't answer his signaling button from Ladybug right away, would it still keep fluttering until he was able to press the button that he got her message?

“You could have just asked.”

She could feel him slumping slightly as he sighed. 

“Is it me?” He winced. “Is it something I did?”

“No. Of course not.” Marinette pressed her lips together. “I can’t really explain.” 

She felt his hand slip to the back of his neck, the way he did when he’d worried. It softly bumped the back of her head. “Then can someone else help?”

“I’ve got Tikki.” She nodded, before remembering he couldn’t see. “The whole box of Kwami too.” 

Somehow, even with all of them, it was still oddly lonely.

“What about one of the other heroes?” Chat mused aloud.

Marinette nibbled her lip in between bites of macaron. “I could try to bring in another pair of hands for a while. But I’m a little worried.”

“Hmm?” 

“Since nearly everyone was exposed, it doesn’t feel safe to bring any of those holders out.” She exhaled slowly. “I’ve been careful, trying to keep my distance as much as possible to keep all of them safe. It is the only way to keep them as safe as I can from Hawkmoth.

“What if you randomly bring in people to prevent those exposed by Miracle Queen from being targeted?”

She sighed. “That might work.” But it really just left the two of them, at the end of the day.

“You... have a little while until the end of lunch, right?”

“Yeah?”

“Claws on,” Chat whispered. When the fizzle of magic had safely passed, she turned around to him, only to see his arms extended for her to lean against his shoulder.

“Then rest up, my Lady.” 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to ThrawnCA for beta reading this installment!

Slumping down onto the bench in a fleeting break during fencing practice, Adrien sipped as much water as he could stomach. As with every other water break, he kept sneaking into his bag in his locker to make sure that Marinette hadn’t called.

It was disappointing that Kagami didn’t show today, but it couldn’t be helped. She was going to need some time. 

He _knew_ that.

But it didn’t change the fact that he hated that he couldn’t really talk to her. He understood...but....

Right now, he really needed a friend.

Plagg was great and all...but his advice wasn’t always the most _helpful_.

“Mr. Agreste,” Mr. D'Argencourt barked, his shout echoed enough to rattle the metal locker doors.. “It’s time to come back to practice.”

* * *

Aching from the extended fencing session, Adrien sighed heavily when he ducked into the car.

“Nathalie?” He smiled. Her presence wasn’t really a common one anymore. She hadn’t been up and about very much lately. “I didn’t expect to see you.”

She pushed her glasses back onto her nose and lifted the tablet in her hand. “Unfortunately, it appeared it was necessary.”

Adrien frowned, eyeing the tablet for any hint that his Father would appear. However, it wasn't a video chat screen that was up on her tablet but his school logo.

“I checked your grades online and noticed that they have been slipping.” Nathalie frowned, eyes dipping to the charm that sat out beside him on the seat. “I don’t want to have to bother your Father.”

His eyes shifted away, subtly shifting his hand to cover the charm beneath his palm, hiding it from view. 

The Gorilla’s brows furrowed, heavy with concern in the mirror.

Adrien’s shoulders slumped. “I’m just a lot more tired lately. Maybe I could take a day off of fencing tomorrow?”

Nathalie sighed. “As long as you use the time to focus on your classwork.”

Adrien nodded, stowing the Lucky Charm safely back into his pocket..

There wasn’t any way that she was going to understand.

In his life, it was only Marinette -- Ladybug -- who was his one true constant.

It was worth missing out on some of the things he enjoyed to make sure nothing would get in the way of keeping her safe.

* * *

The second battle of the day went far more smoothly.

He took Viperion home and was letting Marinette refuel before he brought back the Miraculous.

Luka was quiet. Even more so than usual. 

He thought nothing of it until he dropped him off near the Liberty, and Luka’s hand shot out. “Wait.”

Chat Noir’s eyes opened as he looked down to where Luka had grabbed his wrist.

“Is Ladybug okay?”

Chat smiled. “She’s just really tired. She’s got a lot on her plate right now. It’s why she needed the extra pair of hands today.”

Luka looked down at the bracelet, reflexively making the second chance motion before he tugged it free and returned it to Chat Noir. 

“Luka,” Chat sighed, unzipping his pocket to safely tuck away the snake Miraculous. “How many times did it take?”

Luke shrugged. “More than a few, honestly.”

Chat exhaled sharply. “I’ll make sure she gets more rest. I _purr_ omise,” he added with a belated wink, as he started to vault backup to the rooftops. 

“Chat Noir!” 

Paling, he stared back down into the alleyway where Luka had picked up his bike.

Luka’s brows furrowed as he shouted up. “She wasn't the only one who was struggling.”

With a half-hearted wave, Chat Noir raced away, sprinting back to bring the Miraculous back to Marinette.

Luka definitely had no idea that Marinette was Ladybug or else he would be far more worried, too. 

And clearly, his friend had been right to be worried.

At least to him, everything was now that much harder, now that he knew who she was. Every single thing… it all mattered so much more, and he was already so worried about letting her down. 

Sighing, he touched down on Marinette’s balcony. 

It was the same amount of pressure his Father had put on him in all aspects of his life.

He frowned as he met the worried look on her face. Hastily, she opened up her skylight door. “Are you alright, Chaton? You look tired.”

His frown softened, as she rushed back up onto the balcony.

Stretching, he settled down onto her lounger and dug the spare Miraculous from his zippered pocket. “It has just been a very long day.”

Smiling, she sat on the edge of the lounger beside him, ruffling the hair between his ears with her clever fingers. And if he leaned up into her touch, closing his eyes to savor it before those fingers inevitably slipped away, then so what.

At the end of the day, it really was only Marinette who treated him like he mattered to her. Even if he could only ever be her friend, that made _all_ the difference in the world to him.

“I think we might really want to consider having two extra Miraculous in rotation, My Lady…”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to Nomolosk and TheObsessedRavenclaw for beta reading!

Wincing, Marinette ducked back under the covers as the morning light hit her eyes with a vengeance.

“Marinette,” Tikki hissed into her ear. “It’s time to get up.”

She groaned, gripping her comforter that much tighter. “It’s way too early to get up.”

“You’ve only got 30 minutes until class.” Tikki chided as she tried to pull off the comforter.

Inhaling sharply, Marinette leapt out of bed, sliding down her ladder with her eyes closed, relying on sheer muscle memory.

These endless late nights were quickly becoming _way_ too common.

Pulling a fresh outfit from her dresser, she changed as quickly as possible. 

She couldn’t afford to have the help of anyone else -- except for Tikki, of course...to try to find someone else who could step in and handle being a specific Miraculous holder.

In a pinch, technically anyone could really be replaced.

But without Chat Noir? She already knew _she_ couldn’t do it.

She couldn’t very well explain to him _why_.

Closing her eyes, she slipped her shirt over her head 

She could barely even talk to Tikki about much of that failed timeline. There was so much she really didn’t know about. Except those few words from Chat Blanc that still haunted her dreams.

_Our love destroyed the world..._

“Marinette,” Tikki prodded.

“Hmm?” Her eyes popped open.

In the reflection, her hair ruffled slightly. “You’re zoning again.”

“Sorry, Tikki,” she smiled ruefully.

Brushing her hair quickly, she stared off sightlessly in the mirror.

As much as she desperately needed Chat Noir’s help, she knew it was a problem. After all, it was because of growing closer to Chat Noir -- close enough that he had finally worn down the rest of her resistance -- that he was somehow able to get emotional enough to fall prey to Hawkmoth’s Akumatization in that other timeline.

Even she had to get _really_ mad to lose that much check on her emotions.

The hairbrush clattered down on top of the dresser. Her fingers moved through the familiar motions, tying each ribbon neatly into place.

She could trust Chat Noir in battle, of course. She needed him to be as sharp as ever while she puzzled all of this out. He’d been more cautious and circumspect since they’d returned from New York. 

As much as she needed to assure herself he was alright, she didn’t trust herself to ask for anything more about how he was holding up. Not with as much as she already knew about him. There was just far too much potentially on the line. 

With a heavy sigh, Marinette took a closer look under her eyes, briefly wondering just how much concealer she was going to need to fend off the inevitable questions about her sleeping habits. Shaking her head, she grabbed the tiny bottle and set to work.

That distance was the one thing keeping them both safe.

Not that it was doing much good.

Regardless of whether she liked it or not -- and she did like it far more than she could safely say -- Chat Noir had appointed himself her protector...even from herself.

More than once, he'd brought back the extra Miraculous to her and threatened to cuddle next to her in her loft bed.

Marinette smirked before she slid the tiny rose tube of gloss over her lips.

She’d like to see him _try_.

If only because he could use the sleep just as much himself.

_“Marinette!”_

* * *

Marinette beamed. She might have raced down the street with a croissant hanging from her mouth as she tugged her blazer over her arms, but made it to class with a whole minute to spare.

Alya glanced over at her with concern. “Another late night?”

Marinette smiled ruefully, as she wearily dropped down into her chair. Thankfully, the adrenaline rush of her mad dash had her mind sharp for the moment. “Oh, you know me. There’s always another design that has my attention”

Adrien kept tossed a worried glance back over his shoulder.

At _her._

When she noticed, she had to kick herself to keep from cheering aloud gleefully.

She might have had to step aside and push her feelings down so he could date Kagami, However, no matter what she tried she couldn’t help how much he still affected her.

Of course, keeping her joy in check was a little easier after she remembered that Adrien hadn’t been nearly so interested in her at any other time.

“Adrien. Eyes front, please.” Miss Bustier scolded mid-lesson.

Marinette’s eyes shifted to him immediately, veering up from her doodle-filled page of handwritten notes. Not that she really needed much excuse to look his way.

Adrien pulled his hand from his pocket, sitting up straight.

Marinette frowned. That wasn’t like him. It was one thing for him to worry about her. But his posture was usually flawless. All of that modelling training had to be behind it.

She bit her lip. Even after his attention had dutifully turned back to Miss Bustier, Adrien’s shoulders were still noticeably slumped. 

That really wasn’t like him.

Or perhaps, what was unusual was the fact that _she_ hadn’t noticed before now.

Anxious fingers twisted fretfully around the ends of her pigtails as she jotted down notes absently. How long had she been missing things?

As often as she dared, Marinette’s eyes kept darting towards him, filing away every sort of detail.

In was only inevitable that her eyes would eventually land upon his pocket.

Or more specifically what was falling out of his pocket.

Her eyes widened as she recognized the familiar string of beads, dangling precariously from a red string.

* * *

“Hey, Adrien.” Alya spoke up just as soon as Miss Bustier had dismissed them to switch classes. 

Marinette’s eyes darted away, frantically stuffing books into her backpack with the rest of the class.

She could only hope he wouldn’t notice that she had been watching.

“What’s up, Alya?” He smiled. She could hear it in his voice.

Marinette looked up, still anxious to make sure she hadn’t been wrong about that too.

“Something is falling out of your pocket.” Alya nodded.

Blinking, he acted fast, hand frantically putting it away. 

In an instant, her purse buzzed on her lap.

Eyes wide, she fumbled to get it open.

“Thanks!” Adrien spoke distractly, in front of her. “I don’t know what I would do if I lost that.”

When she finally managed to pry it open she saw Tikki, who looked confusion but still ready to transform on her signal. 

She nibbled at her lip. 

If there was a battle brewing, Alya didn’t show any sign. 

Smiling a little too widely, Marinette coughed, drawing her attention, as she zipped her pink bag closed. “Think Hawkmoth will leave us all alone today?”

Alya rolled her eyes. Her phone was already out and in her hand. “There’s nothing new since this early morning, so I _honestly_ hope so.”

Puzzled, Marinette frowned, uncertain whether or not she should still duck away to check in with Chat Noir. Eyeing the door, her fingers lingered over her purse. 

“It’s crazy how often Hawkmoth is attacking anyways.” Alya scowled, as she stood, slinging her backpack over her shoulder, following Nino and Adrien out the door.

Standing, Marinette followed suit, trailing behind Alya as her rant continued. “Ladybug and Chat Noir are pushed way past their limits so often. It’s like he’s trying to push them to the brink. I’m not even sure how much they can ever rest.” 

Marinette pressed her lips into a thin line to keep from laughing out loud. “It’s probably good that they’ve got someone worried about them like you, Alya.”

“It would probably help more if they’d lean on someone else…” Alya pouted, as they headed down the stairs side by side.

Wryly, Marinette forced her lips into a more serene smile. “I’m sure Ladybug knows what she is doing by now.”

But by then, Marinette was paying far more attention to the pair in front of her.

“C’mon, Dude.” Nino assured, as he rested an arm over Adrien’s still hunched shoulders. “It’s not that bad getting called out in class. It happens to all of us sometime. I mean, _nobody_ is _perfect_.”

His eyes flickered back up at her.

Just for a fraction of a second.

But it was more than enough to steal her breath. To leave her blushing under his attention, no matter how fleeting.

Miraculously, she was already down on solid ground when Adrien finally spoke again, sighing heavily as he was ushered forward.

“I’m not entirely sure that’s true.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Enberlight for beta reading!

Racing up the stairs to the relative safety of the rooftop, Marinette gasped wearily. She gripped the railing with her free hand, as she struggled to gather her bearings. Now was supposed to be the time she could brace herself for the added challenge in the battle ahead.

She wouldn’t have been nearly as breathless if her heart hadn’t already been racing full tilt for the past 5 minutes straight.

In retrospect, they had been incredibly lucky that it was something that had never happened before.

As awful as Hawkmoth was — and no doubt, he _absolutely_ was — in over a year of fighting off Akuma, she had never been called away in the middle of a test.

Before one? Sure.

After one? Unfortunately.

But never, ever in the middle. 

It was simply her rotten luck that the first time fell during a test that mattered so much.

Marinette smiled ruefully. Thankfully, it wasn’t the _only_ thing that mattered.

Only ten minutes ago, Marinette had groaned, her fingers cramping slightly as she put the finishing touches on the long essay question. 

Sitting back in her seat, she stretched. At least she was nearly done with this awful test. Just one more passthrough to answer the few that hadn’t been quick to answer the first time around and then she would finally be able to rest.

Of course, that was the exact moment when Alya’s phone alerted, vibrating at her leg. 

The noise drew Marinette’s attention. Alya was looking down at her lap, panic clear in her expression. 

Clearly, she wasn’t the only one who had gotten the alert. A somber looking Miss Bustier spoke up. “Everyone stay calm. The battle is a fair distance away. Please finish up your tests and I’ll see if any more guidance comes from Principle Damocles."

Flinching, Marinette reached blindly into her purse and sent out an SOS message to Chat. Hopefully, he could control the damage if he could get there first.

She didn’t expect her charm to be beeping as well when she went to squeeze it in her hand. 

Blinking, she looked forward, noticing Adrien’s hand drop from his pocket. That really was odd. It wasn’t like him to be distracted during a test, even if an Akuma was out.

Frantic, she bit her lip, scrambling to put an attempt for the last few answers down on the page. Some answers were better than failing it completely.

She turned her test paper over and set her pencil down, a sign for Miss Bustier to circle around and pick her paper up.

“Miss Bustier,” Marinette’s smile was strained as she looked up at the teacher. “May I be excused to go to the bathroom?”

Miss Bustier frowned slightly, glancing back over at the clock. “Can it wait another 5 minutes? Then, I’ll release the whole class. We just want to make sure everyone has finished these tests.”

Marinette wriggled in her seat anxiously, feeling her pulse start to race. Every minute wasted was another that Hawkmoth’s Akuma gathered a foothold. On instinct, she dipped her hand into her purse and sent another message to Chat Noir.

Adrien leaned back in his chair, now also done with his test. 

There was something in there making noise. Something definitely noticeable in the still quiet of the room. But it wasn’t Alya’s phone.

Not this time.

Her eyes darted around the room as much as she would dare. Even if her test was in, she didn’t want to bother anyone else.

Her foot tapped on the ground, as she checked the clock one more time. 

Everyone else appeared to be focused on their exams.

Everyone, that is, but Adrien.

His hand dipped back into his pocket. There was no way he was still carrying her lucky charm. But maybe, with the way his hand kept hovering over it. 

Maybe his Father was demanding really high grades again for him to be able to do anything after school.

Marinette sat back, pressing her purse to stomach, holding fast to Tikki. She had to be ready to move and fast once class was dismissed.

She gave Tikki one final squeeze hoping a little of her luck would rub off.

Her brows furrowed, startled out of her quiet reverie. There was that soft buzzing again.

She shut her eyes, trying to focus on figuring it out. It was almost more of a hum. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t a phone.

Marinette’s eyes blinked open, still staring straight at Adrien.

Well, at least part of him. 

Her jaw dropped.

_Did…_

Did Adrien’s pocket just... _move?_

Her face went pale, as the red and black spots practically danced before her face.

She took into account his hair color. His slightly slumped posture. How tired he had been, all of a sudden despite no clear change in his schedule...

With a sick, sinking feeling settling deep into her stomach, she stared down at her pink and white purse in growing horror. She had _only_ hugged Tikki, hadn’t she? 

Setting her jaw, Marinette steeled herself. She had to _know_ for sure. Inhaling sharply, she squeezed the tiny cat charm in her purse once again. 

Without fail, his hand slipped back to his pocket. His leg bounced anxiously, as if ready to dart free at the first opportunity.

As if he finally feared she had connected some dots, Adrien turned around, blinking.

It was the exact wrong thing for him to do.

Her breathing grew ragged, the sound of her heartbeat thrashing in her ears.

He put his hand over hers, as if it was the easiest thing in the world for him. “Are you okay?”

She blinked up at him, dazed. Feeling dizzy as she memorized just how very green his eyes truly were.

“Miss Bustier.” Adrien raised his hand, called softly. “I’m done with my test and Marinette looks really pale. Are you sure I can’t help her get to the nurse?”

Miss Bustier frowned. “You do look pale, Marinette. And I do have both your tests.”

“Very well.” 

Watching carefully to make sure she had all of her bearings, Adrien led her out by the hand. 

It was only after they passed the nurse’s office and rushed up the flight of stairs towards the library that she dared to finally speak. “I can’t believe it.” She murmured, shaking her head. “Although, you did tell me you were close enough to help.”

His hand fell onto her shoulder. “Think you’re okay enough to fight?”

Hilarity struck when she peered down at his fingers. “Paris needs me.”

“I know,” he murmured, licking his suddenly dry lips as he leaned in ever-so-slightly.

Marinette inhaled deeply. It was more than enough for her to notice. 

“But I need to know you’re okay first.” His words were little more than a whisper. Gently, he squeezed her shoulders, searching her eyes. “Paris can survive without you for a while, but I’m not sure I would be so lucky.”

The sheer, unmasked look of affection in his eyes would be the end of her, even if she was lucky enough to survive the battle. 

She tugged him into a fierce hug, hiding her face in his chest to hide the furious blush on her face. 

Her whole world had toppled upside down, and — _impossibly_ — had come up right. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to TheObsessedRavenclaw for beta reading!

For all that the mad dash across Paris was a quick one, it seemed that Ladybug was doomed to spend the better part of battle struggling to keep her eyes scanning the horizon in search of the Akuma and not her partner.

‘Ah,” Chat Noir sighed, halting on top of the Trocadéro and tugging her by hand to duck back out of sight to survey the growing damage. The wind blew through his untamed mop of golden hair and his lips curved upwards. “That looks like trouble.”

Nibbling at her lip, Ladybug stared off into the distance, eyes aimlessly darting around the gardens for a sign of their newest Akuma. It was a little hard to focus on a plan when she kept finding Adrien hiding in Chat Noir’s crooked grin. Her mind kept stumbling, wondering what else she should have noticed about Adrien. After all, she was the one who had been looking at him for so long…

He sniffled beside her. “Well, this battle is going to be for the _birds_.”

Smirking apologetically, she glanced over at him watching him swipe his claw in front of his nose. “Need to head back for some allergy medication?”

“That’s no use.” He shook his head. “It’ll just make me sleepy.”

Ladybug’s lips pressed into a thin line. That wasn’t going to do. At least one of them needed to have their wits about them. She forced her gaze pointedly away, all too aware he was still watching her. “Lucky for us both, Hawkmoth could only bother to push Mr. Pigeon to fly the coop again. Of all of the Akuma we’ve fought multiple times, Mr. Pigeon is the least likely to learn from failures of battles past.”

“Got a preference in mind?”

Ladybug shook her head. “My mind is still reeling a bit, if I’m honest.”

His smile grew soft; His voice even softer still. “You always are, my Lady.”

“Then maybe you should pick the plan of attack today, Chaton.”

Chat Noir gripped the edge of the rooftop, looking gleefully eager to pounce over the edge. “Call me sentimental, but I’ve always been a big fan of the classics.”

* * *

Sighing wearily, Ladybug tossed the red spotted boomerang up into the sky, hoping it wasn’t doomed to come back and smack her in her unsuspecting face again this time.

It was bad enough that she had managed to literally get tangled up with Chat Noir on that first day.

Exhaling slowly, she pulled her yoyo from the bandolero. There was nothing she wanted to do more than head back to school to get her bag, go home, and nap for the next week.

Or possibly more.

As her earrings beeped, she instinctively rushed to send her flying yoyo off to anchor onto the most solid building across the way.

“Ladybug, wait!” Chat Noir grabbed for her hand, before dropping it again, uncertain. 

Blinking, she glanced back, following that hand with her eyes. 

“You don’t need to.” He smiled softly. “Remember?”

She gulped against the growing lump in her throat. “I think I do. This...all of _this_ is still a lot for me to process.”

Fretfully, he nodded, not quite meeting her eyes. “Do you want to cancel patrol then? Or should I run it myself?

“I’ll call you.” She smiled ruefully, half-turned to swing off towards school to grab her backpack first. “ _Purr_ omise.”

Mentally exhausted as she was, the tiniest flicker of hope and humor that leapt into his eyes kept her going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fought this chapter for a while and ended up deciding to split it, so I have a solid start into cleaning up the next one.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to a_popcorn_kernel for beta reading this time around!

After scrambling back to school, Ladybug slipped into the bathroom to detransform.

The school day might have ended, but the last few people were still lingering in the courtyard below.

Nibbling at her lip, Marinette ducked into the classroom. Adrien’s bag was still there, but hers was missing.

Turning on her heel, she rushed out and headed down the steps. 

She wasn’t about to stick around. What she told Adrien was true. She needed some time to think. Something that was extremely hard for her to do with him nearby.

Once she was safely outside of the school, she pulled her phone from her purse.

“Hey, Alya?” she said, trying to keep her eyes from straying back up to the roofline. It would do a lot more to help her make it home in one piece. “Did you happen to pick up my bag?”

* * *

“Marinette?” The concern on Alya’s face was clear just as soon as she opened the door. Dropping her bag on the floor, she pulled Marinette into a big hug. “Are you alright?”

She must have looked as weary as she felt. To be perfectly honest -- which of course she couldn’t -- she still wasn’t sure. Belatedly, she shrugged. “I think I was up too late studying.”

“You got some rest in the nurse’s office?”

“Some at least.”

“Adrien never came back to class.” The grin on Alya’s face widened. “Did he stick around?”

Marinette shook her head. “I guess he must have. For a little while at least.” She pursed her lips. “I didn’t see him when I woke up.”

“Maybe his Father pulled him out once the battle left the area?” Alya frowned. “Nino said Adrien’s father definitely likes to keep him out of harm's way.”

Plastering a smile on her face, Marinette turned away, reaching down to grab for her bag. “I hope so.”

There was no way in the world she could tell Alya just how untrue that was. Lying on her own behalf was bad enough.

Alya smiled in return. “Want me to run you through the assignment from the last class of the day?” 

“Sure,” Marinette nodded. Right now, she could use all the help she could get.

* * *

Only an hour later, it was almost a welcome relief for her to head down for dinner when Alya needed to go back home. 

In spite of all of Alya’s help, she was barely able to focus.

On the homework, at least.

In the relative safety of her room, it really was just sinking in what incredible lengths Adrien must have gone to just to keep wearing Chat Noir’s mask all long. When he had been little more than a face hidden behind the mask, she still worried and wondered. But she put it out of her mind to keep him safe.

Sitting down at the dinner table across from her parents with a genuine smile, she looked down at the plate before her. “Oh!” She beamed, looking down at a whole meal of her favorites. “Dinner looks great!”

Her mother had definitely heard from Alya. 

“How was school today, sweetie?” Her mother smiled a little too widely, subtly pressing her to fill in the gaps. 

“I made it through that crazy test.” Marinette sighed, setting her napkin down on her lap. “Started to feel ill at the end and had to go lie down. That’s why Alya brought my bag over.”

Tom frowned, napkin to his lips. “Are you feeling better?”

“I think I just overdid it.” She picked at the food on her plate. “If I go to bed a little early tonight, I’ll be fine…”

Her eyes fell upon the open seat beside hers. The place where Chat Noir had ever so thoughtfully declined her feelings because he understood. But couldn’t give up his feelings for her.

For _her_. 

“Actually,” Marinette whispered, forcing her eyes back up to her parents, “if it’s okay, can I crash now?”

* * *

Collapsing onto her bed as soon as she cleared the ladder, Marinette rolled over. Hugging her giant cat pillow, she stared up at the skylight.

She half wished for him to appear, calling for her to come out and patrol.

As Chat Noir, he had spent a whole year throwing his feelings at her, but she’d let herself be so blinded to how wonderful he was without the mask that she hadn’t seen him standing beside her.

She _couldn’t_.

Feeling the ache welling at her temples, Marinette wanted to scream. 

Of course, she just told her parents she was going to sleep.

Closing her eyes, her head sunk back against the pillow. Of course he wouldn’t come.

He hadn’t argued when she said she needed time. She had trusted him not to push, even before his mask had fallen..

“Tikki,” she murmured. “I thought you kept saying this would all work out in the end.” 

Sighing, Tikki ruffled her bangs fondly. “We’re not done yet, are we?” 

Grumbling, Marinette forced herself to sit up. “It’s just a lot, trying to process everything I know about him now.” Hesitating, she frowned. “Everything I think I know anyways.”

“He has always been kind and caring. Considering his Father -- not to mention Chloe being his oldest friend -- that has only been endearing.”

Marinette tilted her head. “It’s just nice to know he wasn’t always alone all this time. Especially when his Father kept keeping him at home when Nino tried to arrange get-togethers.”

“Plagg couldn’t be in better hands,” Tikki agreed.

Marinette snickered. “Adrien must keep him out of trouble. Mostly, anyways.”

Absently, she pet the fake fur of the cat pillow. 

“Does it change your mind?” Tikki asked quietly.

“Knowing who he is?” Marinette replied, nuzzling her nose into the pillow. “No. Understanding better what he risked everyday -- for her, for Paris…” A choked sob slipped past her lips. “Tikki, I didn’t think I _could_ love him more.”

Tikki smiled sadly. “That’s not something that should make you unhappy.”

She shook her head, pressing her forehead against the pillow. “I can’t help it. I can’t help but feel like I’m betraying Kagami, but I can’t help but to love him. You know I’ve tried not to.” 

Worse, she knew that absolutely couldn't act on it. Neither of them could afford to.

The whole time, her mind kept spiralling back to one single point. To the one thought stuck in her head.

After all, their love was supposed to destroy the world, right? 

“Marinette?”

Only, she hadn’t had any idea at the time that she’d _actually_ been in love with Chat Noir all along. She’d been in love with him the whole time and she had pushed him away. Right into Kagami’s arms.

Even with Tikki helping, she had the absolute worst luck.

Her brows furrowed, as her eyes darted back over to her worried Kwami.

But that was impossible, wasn’t it?

Eyes widening, she sat up in bed.

Maybe...

 _Maybe_ her awful luck in telling Adrien her feelings, hadn’t actually been _bad_ luck at all. Maybe it was the very thing that had been keeping them both safe.

Scanning her room, her eyes fell upon the Miraculous Box. 

Impossible as it was, Marinette wished she could reach out to Bunnyx to find out. Of course, she had no way of knowing if she was meeting a Bunnyx who had even gone through that yet, or if she had disappeared altogether. 

Smacking her cheeks as she paced the floor of her room, Marinette forced herself to refocus.

Because of the battle, Adrien had had to skip out on practice, and she knew Kagami was not happy. She had heard from the other girls that Kagami wasn’t happy. 

She didn’t wish any unhappiness on anyone, but she knew what she had to tell Chat. Tell Adrien.

_Somehow._

What she had to tell Adrien would only cause them to grow closer. He'd been worried enough when he’d asked her to share the burden.

He’d doubted so much what he meant to her. Then again, he had no idea what she’d been keeping from him.

She understood her feelings, but there was no way either she or Adrien could explain.

It was something she had dealt with Luka as well. He had helped her to understand herself. To say it better.

To understand and come to terms with her own feelings. Everything had always been easier with him, because her heart wasn’t so involved. 

But losing Chat Noir in New York? Losing him to Akumatization that she almost didn’t defeat?

That had been _devastating_.

Now it was all painfully clear why. Even if her head hadn't known, her heart had always been sure.

“Marinette,” Tikki hissed, tugging at one of her pigtails. “What has got you so riled up?”

“My feelings haven’t changed,” she inhaled, a slow smile spreading across her face.

Tikki nodded slowly. “Yes… did that surprise you?”

Marinette snorted. “That isn’t the surprising part.”

“What is?”

She shook her head, forcing herself to focus. “That everything is still okay. That it always has been.”

Her eyes narrowed. 

Hawkmoth had targeted everyone. Nearly every single person she knew and cared for. 

If it wasn’t their love that had ruined it, it had to be something else.

Their love hadn’t changed. It just kept swinging back and forth, like the yin and yang Master Fu had always mentioned during her training sessions with him.

Marinette leaned into her purse, pulling out the tiny black kitten, beaming down at the tiny bell on its collar. 

She couldn’t dare to take the risk she might be wrong. Not with Chat. Not with Adrien. 

Glancing at the mirror as she fixed her ribbons, Marinette blushed.

Even if she couldn’t tell him how she felt, he needed to know there was a risk. She owed him that. Adrien needed to keep himself safe, even if she couldn’t always be at his side.

* * *

Tiny kitten communicator in hand, Ladybug leaned back against the metal beam, red and black spotted hands keeping her solidly in place.

“Hey, Chaton.”

His electric green eyes were wide and worried. “You called?”

She patted the beam beside her. “I just needed to relax.”

Chuckling softly, the metal of his boots clinked against the beam as he sat down beside her. “And you needed me?”

Shrugging, she leaned her head against his shoulder. “I relax more when you are nearby.”

They sat in silence for a few whole minutes, his arm gently wrapping around her. 

“What have you worried about the most?”

“Hawkmoth.” Ladybug whispered. “Our masks haven’t ever fallen before. And he’s tried to use us both against each other.

“That’s right,” Chat sat up, pulling away just enough to see her face, his arm falling to the small of her back. “He did try to Akumatize you, didn’t he?”

She bit her lip, nodding. Trying to ignore the small touch. “Twice, actually. And Lila was behind both times.”

He snorted, laughing hard. “No wonder Lila got you so mad. You knew exactly what that book was. And of course, you would know she took it.” Chat shook his head. “I was still surprised Father ever budged on that.”

“Adrien.” Smiling ruefully, she sighed. “I had to take it back to him. Master Fu and I scanned the whole book, first. But it wasn’t fair that he was keeping you out of school because of it.”

“Why?” Mix of love and confusion and awe. “Why would you do that much? For me?”

“You’re my friend.” Squeezing his hand in hers. She couldn’t look him in those kitten eyes. “It’s been hard enough to see everyone else Akumatized. It really bothered me, especially with how unfair your Father can sometimes be.” 

“In hindsight, I’m really glad. I guess we’ve never done so well with fights when both of us aren’t there.”

He was quiet for a while, watching her. “You’re right, you know?”

She snorted. “You’re just realizing this now?”

His crooked grin was genuine. “I meant about the threat that Hawkmoth poses.”

“Mmmhmm.”

She grabbed his arm, before he headed away. “There’s a threat. It’s...well, it’s hard to explain, especially as it might put you at risk. There was only one battle that I’ve ever had to fight without you. Bunnyx came for me.”

“She didn’t want my help?” He looked hurt, more than anything else.

“Chaton…” Ladybug murmured. “I don’t think she had the time. I was pulled into her Burrow and shoved into the battle only a little while later.” She shut her eyes, noticing how closely he was watching her. Now was not the time to test if her acting skills have gotten any better. “It all has me very leery. I don’t have eyes in the back of my head. It’s part of what is wearing me down. If this person was Akumatized once, they could be Akumatized again.”

“Then what to do we need to do to stop the risk?”

Her fingers gripped the metal beam, giving her focus as she stared back at him. “We have to stop Hawkmoth. We get his Miraculous away; whatever it takes.”

His gaze slipped away from hers first, staring off thoughtfully into the distance. “What if we shook up our planning for a bit?” 

Ladybug tilted her head. “What did you have in mind?”

“Hawkmoth expects you to do the planning, right?” He smiled sweetly. “The complex, crazy ideas that get ahead of what he can predict.”

“Sure.”

“If that’s what he’s expecting, then we do it my way.” His grin widened. “Simple and straightforward.”

Ladybug chuckled, muscle memory sending her finger to tap at his bell before her head could catch up. “You always got straight to the heart of saying what you mean.” 

“Right.” Flushing red, Chat sat up straighter. His lips pressed into a line. “You should still be running the battles. I can read your telegraphing pretty well now, and we really can’t afford for him to get an edge.”

“I can try to reach out to more of the Miraculous holders, but it still won’t be safe to keep them in between.” She sighed. “Unfortunately, Chloe made sure of that.”

Chat nodded. “So you call in everyone, but separately. Don’t tell everyone the plan. Not even me. Given everyone a specific task. You know who they are...what they might be good at.”

“This is feeling a little less and less straightforward by the minute,” Ladybug chuckled.

“I thought you might like that.” Chat Noir grinned, leaving her heart to try to take a swan dive off the Tower without her. 

“Besides, straightforward doesn’t mean you can’t also feint and dodge to get the point. The element of surprise is one of the few things we have still working in our favor. And there is one thing we haven’t ever dared to do.”

Her brows furrowed beneath the mask. “What’s that?”

“This time, _we_ go on the offensive.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With thanks to elysiantree for beta reading!

Chat Noir rushed out along the rooftops, eyeing the views carefully before ducking down into the slim alleyway.

Backpack slung over his shoulder, a beaming Adrien Agreste walked down the rest of the block. Eyeing the customer leaving around the corner, he walked a few steps more to stop into the bakery. 

“Hello, Adrien!” Sabine greeted him with a serene smile. “Can I get you something?” 

“Not today, thank you. I’m here to work with Marinette on homework.” He ducked his head, leaning heavily on all the polite manners that had been drummed into his head from an early age. “Since the bakery was still open, I didn’t want to drop in unannounced.”

With a sly smile, Sabine called out before he could turn around and head over to the house. “Wait just a moment.” Turning behind the counter, she used a pair of tongs to select a few of his favorites -- a passionfruit macaron they’d started making each daily among them -- to send up for them to snack on.

His eyes widened as he took in the growing pile. He definitely needed to make a point to stop in to the bakery more often. 

“Growing brains need plenty of fuel. This should tide you both over.” She smiled, placing the bag into his hands.

“Umm...Thank you.” 

She tilted her head thoughtfully. “Should we set an extra place for you for dinner?”

Wincing only briefly, Adrien smiled. “I would love to, but I’m afraid my Father would probably notice I was gone.”

* * *

Frowning, Tom walked from the back as the door closed behind Adrien and he walked out of sight of the window frame. “You don’t want to go up and keep an eye on her?”

Sabine smiled ruefully. “My dear, I don’t think we have to worry about Marinette just yet.”

Crossing his arms over his barrel shaped chest, Tom pouted, leaning against the doorway. “You _did_ just send a boy up to visit Marinette.”

“One she likes a great deal, Tom.” Sabine chuckled. “If we’re lucky, she still has another year or two in that sweetly awkward phase before we really have to worry. Besides, I would worry far more if he didn’t bother to stop in and visit first.”

* * *

Marinette paced anxiously in front of the window, watching for him to arrive.

At the sound of shuffling on the pavement outside, she pulled open the door before he could knock. 

Adrien blinked, his fist lingering uselessly in the air for a few moments before his hand fell back at his side.

“Come in. Quickly!” She grabbed his hand, pulling him inside before she peered back out, watching for anyone who might have noticed. Satisfied, she closed the door and led the way up the entryway stairs. “Did you have any trouble getting away?”

“Leaving by window solved most of that.” He grinned, setting his backpack down beside the sofa, holding up the bag from downstairs as a peace offering.

“C’mon, Plagg,” Tikki prodded as Plagg floated out of Adrien’s pocket. “Marinette put some cheese out for you upstairs.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Tikki snorted. “You didn’t sniff it out any sooner, you glutton?”

Watching the pair of Kwami phase out of sight, Marinette opened up the bag. “What is this?”

“I stopped by to see your parents first,” he murmured, lingering at her side. “I figured it was better to not have to explain why I’m here later.”

Marinette’s lips pressed into a thin line. “You’re going to get in trouble if you’re spotted outside of your house, Adrien.”

He shrugged, watching as she darted over to the kitchen to grab a pair of plates and napkins. “It wouldn’t be the first time. Besides, I’ve seen what your father can do to boys in this house who don’t treat you right.”

Rolling her eyes as she strode across the room, setting the pair of plates down on the table. “We’re _trying_ to move quickly here, _Chaton_.”

Nodding, he hastily pulled his books out of the bag to set up the ruse beside her on the couch. They could get some done, too, but it wasn’t the priority. 

Her shoulders slumped as he sat mere centimeters away from her on the sofa. “The privacy is ideal. But it won’t last too long before Mom and Dad decide to come upstairs.”

“You say that like we haven’t had to move fast in battles before.” Chuckling, Adrien opened the bag, savoring the small as and picked up the pink macaron. “Your house has to be one of the safest places in Paris right now. I’m sure we could talk on patrol, but we still have no idea how much Hawkmoth can see.”

“I don’t want us to move until we’re ready.”

Adrien nodded, “That makes sense. As long as he doesn’t know, we still have the advantage.” He nibbled on the macaron thoughtfully. “However, we have a whole bunch of users who have only been in battle a handful of times at best.”

“We need to make sure they know how to use those powers.” Marinette sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Unfortunately, I’m the only one who knows about each of them right now.”

Adrien’s brows furrowed as he grabbed another macaron. “Maybe Tikki could catch Plagg up on what I would need to tell them when I come over?” His fingertip tapped on his lip thoughtfully. “We could get it all done faster, if we split up patrols so I could help, too. At least a few of the other holders have powers that are more defensive. The strategies each of us could go over with them would be a little different.”

Marinette chuckled, watching with undisguised amusement as she got a better peek into his thinking. “You _do_ understand better than anyone else what I am likely to do. If I can’t see it and I can’t call it out, that’s up to you.”

He beamed under her praise. “Treat it like a video game, right?”

She snorted. “No, you silly cat. I want you to _try_ to win.”

“You’re wounding me!” Dramatically, he clasped his hand over his heart, falling against her shoulder. “Right here, m’lady.”

She giggled at his antics, as she pushed him back up. “You’re ridiculous. You know that?”

He smiled quietly, eyeing where her arm lingered.

Clearing her throat, Marinette pulled her hand away, snagging a croissant from the dwindling pile. 

They sat in awkward silence, eating side by side. 

“I think this could really work out well, but it does have me worried.” Her shoulders slumped as she leaned further back against the couch cushions.

“What in particular?”

“Well, if we’re not patrolling _together_ , it is bound to look suspicious to anyone watching.” Pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear, she glanced over at him thoughtfully. “We’ve run solo on occasion, but otherwise it has always been just the two of us.”

Adrien grinned deviously. “Not if we made a scene.”

“Huh?”

“Every partnership has its ups and downs, right?” His hand slid behind his neck as his lips curved into a self-satisfied smile. “Alya talks about it all the time with comics. No one would think twice about us patrolling with someone else if they thought we were fighting.”

Marinette’s nose wrinkled “We would still have to be incredibly careful. Hawkmoth will definitely be watching.”

“You know that Alya would be willing to help coax whatever reporting along on the blog or the forums.” Adrien smiled fondly. “If _you_ asked, anyways.”

She looked up at him suddenly, pacing the room as the gears clicked together for her. “What if we don’t want her to keep it quiet.”

He tilted his head.“Hawkmoth would be focused on trying to further drive the wedge between us.” He cackled. “Not that it would work.”

“Right, so he would be wasting his time and energy trying to pull us apart, while we build up the team.”

“Where do we start there?”

“Rena and Carapace.” Marinette spoke without hesitation. “They're the first I brought in. Outside of you, they were the ones I trusted most.”

“Who are they?” 

“I bet you could guess.” She smirked, secretly pleased. If anyone could figure it out, it would be him..

Adrien head tilted. “Alya. And Nino?”

Marinette beamed at him. “I couldn’t give one to someone unless I was sure I could trust them.”

“Is that why you trusted me with Sass?” The sweetest blush darkened his cheeks.

She turned away pointedly. It was hard enough to stay focused without focusing on how adorable that looked.

“What about Chloe?”

Glaring back over her shoulder, Marinette’s eyes anrrowed. “I definitely didn’t _give_ it to her. I was trying to give the Bee Miraculous to Alya when Style Queen hit you.” Crossing her arms over her chest, Marinette continued. “Except she hit Alya before she could transform. Best I can figure, Chloe must have picked it up after, when Plagg and I were trying to save you.”

“Do I know the others, too?”

Marinette nodded. “Everyone I gave the Miraculous to, at least. Unfortunately, after everything that Chloe did, we can’t be spotted talking to Alya.”

Adrien grinned gleefully at the subtle pun. “Not in costume anyways.”

“And they can’t catch wind of our plans without.” Marinette nibbled at her lip. 

Adrien agreed. “Not yet, anyways.”

“Augh!” Marinette tugged at her pigtails. “I never thought I would actually _regret_ telling her to stop chasing down the news stories…”

“You can’t approach her, but if Alya should have no problem approaching Ladybug. Right?” His head tilted. “Then, you can tell her what you need to do.”

“We could just group up for the next class project.” Marinette relaxed, her hand gravitating to rest on the cushion right next to his. “There’s bound to be something that comes up in the next week or two.”

Mischievous glee in his eyes told her she knew exactly what was coming next. “It's just up to you to put a _bug_ in her ear.”

Shaking her head, Marinette rolled her eyes. “That just leaves figuring out the little fight.”

“You say that like we both don’t fight nearly every day.”

“We don’t fight _each other_.” She fired back. Pouting slightly, her arms crossed over her chest. “I’m really not good at lying. I’m the most awful actress.”

He shrugged. “It’s not any different than the movie we did for Nino. You did pretty well with that, even just stepping into the role. We’d have to practice until you felt comfortable”

“Yeah, but this isn’t a kissing scene.” She shot back, pushing back at his nose, desperate to draw the focus away from the warmth flowing into her cheeks. “A fight is far more likely to hurt.”

Adrien sighed wistfully. “I’m not sure about that.”

“If we need it to be believable, we will.” Marinette exhaled slowly. “Both of us have made mistakes. I can’t speak for you, but I don’t relish feeling that way again.” 

He squeezed her hand. “We will both know it isn’t real. After we’ve been working together for this long, of course we know each other’s weakest flanks. We’ve been protecting each other all along.”

She leaned over and knocked him backwards slightly with the unexpected hug. “We’ve been helping each other to get better all along.”

“No matter what I might have to say, never doubt that I mean that, Adrien.”

He tightened the hug, nestling his nose against the crook of her neck.

She pulled away, just enough to gaze into his eyes. “When I said before, I couldn’t do this without you, I meant it.”

“I won’t doubt _you_. I haven’t yet,” he conceded, the strain clear to her in his normally easy smile.

She tried to meet his eyes, but he kept glancing away. Finally, Marinette rested her head on his shoulder. Adrien might have agreed in words, but from the look in his eyes were clear he needed a bit more convincing. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Enberlight, miraculous_carnation, and Miraculously_Furious for beta reading!

Before the week was out, a group literature project had been assigned in Miss Bustier’s class. 

It hadn’t taken much effort from Marinette. The prospect of piles of sweets, - and a rare day without fencing practice for Adrien - had them all heading over to her house right after school.

Marinette smiled, watching the division of the labor between all of them in a way that could do one of her battle plans proud. Nino and Adrien chased down the images and research tidbits online so they could hit the library and find the best sources to footnote. She and Alya focused their efforts on framing out the project and presentation.

Between them all, the sweets disappeared quickly.

She sighed. Tikki was definitely going to ask for her stash of cookies to be replenished. At least with all the progress, she would be able to work on setting up the presentation board in small, between-battle-friendly chunks

Satisfied that they could do no more for now without heading to the library, Marinette pulled Alya aside as they walked up to her room. When they were safely upstairs with the door closed behind her, she turned to her best friend. “Can you do me a favor?

“Sure,” Alya answered without the slightest hesitation.

“Could you not mention anything to Adrien? I really don’t want to upset Kagami.”

Alya frowned. "What about you, Marinette? Your feelings matter, too.”

Shutting her eyes, Marinette sighed. “I know they do. It’s just…it is more important that Adrien is happy right now.” Marinette nibbled at her lip. “You know how rare enough that he can actually get out. Can’t I just be happy about that?”

Alya sighed, hugging her shoulders. “Of course you can…”

After a few minutes more, they had gathered up all the controllers and headed back downstairs. Adrien had finished moving the plate of snacks over to the coffee table, sitting on the farthest edge of the sofa. 

Main controller in hand, Marinette sat down in the middle of the couch, setting up the game.

“How _did_ you manage to convince your Dad to let you out, Adrien?” Alya pressed, watching with clear amusement as Adrien took another cookie from the pile.

His rueful grin snuck out between furtive bites. “I might have informed Nathalie that we would all be at the library.”

Marinette’s brows rose, eyeing him suspiciously. Apparently, his grin wasn’t the _only_ thing sneaking out.

Of course, she was the only other one who knew how he had been sneaking out for a while now.

Nino pulled him into a giant hug, pushing Adrien over on the couch, so he and Marinette sat side by side. “I’m so proud. He’s growing up so well.”

Adrien blushed furiously under all the attention. 

Lucky for Marinette, that meant he didn’t notice the pink on her cheeks that would have done her room proud.

Adrien smiled ruefully. “It should be fine as long as an Akuma doesn’t att—”

“Don’t even say it!” She shot out of her chair, shoving her hand over his mouth.

Adrien’s grin slowly widened beneath her fingertips. 

Flushing, she pulled back her hand as if burned. “You’re going to jinx us _all_.”

* * *

Several victories in, Marinette decided to mercifully turn her attention to chatting so everyone else had a chance to even the odds.

“I haven’t seen an article recently on the Ladyblog, Alya.” Marinette hummed, leaning back against the couch. “Is school work getting to be a little too much right now?”

Adrien’s brows rose. “Or have you started to lose interest?

“I haven’t been as active lately,” Alya confided, “But I’ve hardly stopped.”

* * *

“Their partnership is just so tight knit. They've literally finished each other's sentences for years when I interview them. Even Nino and I can only do that on occasion,” She smirked. “And that’s not to even start on how they both look at each other.”

Marinette gaped.

Adrien blinked, clearly not focusing as much as he should. Nino shouted out with glee, pressing his advantage when Adrien missed a few easy combos in a row. “Alya, please distract them both more often.”

Alya snickered. “Ladybug can deny it all she wants in interviews, but she has been watching him, too. I mean, half of the forums are forever placing bets on when something is going to happen. 

Marinette pointedly looking away, pressing her teeth into her lip. The most awful thing about it was that they were all entirely right.

She couldn’t react. She didn’t dare.

Not now. Not with Adrien so close.

Not with the whole world relying upon it.

It was _far_ too risky.

Adrien was watching her. She was sure of it. His character on the screen had paused completely.

She could already feel the tears welling in her eyes.

Alya hadn’t noticed. “For my money, it isn’t a matter of if, it's only the _when_.”

“Babe,” Nino warned, subtly urging to stop. 

Adrien shot her a worried look. “Marinette?” he murmured.

“Oh my gosh.” Alya gasped. Instantly apologetic, she threw her arm around Marinette in a big hug. “I’m sorry, Marinette. I didn’t mean to ramble on about my favorite pairing, after you’ve just had a rough time of it.”

She whispered. “You’re way too good and generous for people to pass you by for too long.”

Marinette sniffed. It was probably better for all of them that Alya misunderstood why she was upset. She wouldn’t be able to explain it to any of them.

_Especially_ Adrien.

Adrien coughed, clearly trying to divert the attention from Marinette. “So if you’re not working on any articles or footage, what exactly are you working on?"

Frowning, Alya’s eyes narrowed, clearly debating. Marinette had no doubt she was desperately missing the ability to help as Rena.

Marinette gently prodded. “I’ve heard you theorizing long enough to know you think of every detail. There has to be something you’ve noticed but haven’t shared.”

Nino and Alya shared a look, before he nodded slightly. 

Alya inhaled slowly. “I don’t exactly have a whole theory yet...”

Marinette smiled. “I bet Ladybug would appreciate whatever insight you have from your research.”

Adrien echoed her approval. “You should definitely try and reach out to her.”

Alya pulled up a picture of her map from her phone. “I’ve been piecing together information from all of the attacks, trying to see if Hawk Moth has some sort of method for where he's focused his efforts.” She shrugged. “It isn’t for lack of trying, but I haven't had much luck figuring out a trend yet.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “You think Hawk Moth has some grand scheme in which he has Akumtized people in Paris?”

Alya shook her head. “There are a lot of clusters where we have had a lot of activity. However, I can’t be sure why that is. We know that a lot of the people who have been Akumatized were about our age,” She explained. 

Maybe it is easier for him to do. Maybe he is looking for something. We could guess, but we couldn’t be sure. “I wouldn’t want to go to Ladybug with anything but a sure thing. I can’t imagine how busy she and Chat Noir have to be.”

“It’s also really hard,” Nino conceded. Clearly, it wasn’t his first time hearing all of this. “Most of the pictures and videos are from pretty far away. You can’t see a lot of details.”

“As for the eyewitness accounts from up close…” Alya trailed off, sighing. “Frankly, people are bad at remembering things when they are panicking.”

Adrien’s smile grew. “Maybe we can help, too. We’ve all been way closer to the attacks than we’ve liked at different times.”

Tilting her head, Alya smiled. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate the help. I’m just not sure anyone but Ladybug and Chat Noir themselves might have noticed enough, if they weren’t _already_ saving the day.”

Marinette sighed. “So, we’re right back where we started.”

Nino chuckled. “Not...exactly.”

Alya shot him a look. 

Marinette’s gaze shifted back and forth, watching the subtle, silent communication between the two. 

Finally, Alya spoke. “I _did_...have another idea.” She pulled open her laptop, bringing up a hidden gallery file on her computer. “It’s a bit trickier as the information doesn’t always come up from the photos and videos that people sometimes submit to the Ladyblog." 

Marinette hovered over her shoulder. Adrien leaned against her to get a better look.

“Have you ever seen a butterfly after Ladybug cleanses it?”

Marinette plastered a wide grin on her face. It was all she could do to keep from laughing aloud.

Thankfully, Adrien came to her rescue. “Once or twice, at least.” 

Alya nodded. “The butterfly itself turns white, and then flies off to who only knows where. Honestly, I didn’t think all that much about it. Not until I was trying to gather the data for that map.”

“I probably have most of my pictures that I have taken from school. It isn’t often that I’ve captured the butterfly itself on film.” 

“It’s not that surprising.” Nino added. “Given how hard it is to see.”

“Plus with it’s threat gone, everyone has basically been ignoring it.”

Marinette practically vibrated with excitement. Adrien’s hand resting on her back was the one thing keeping her grounded. Alya was sure to think he was the cause.

_She wouldn’t entirely be wrong._

“Alya,” Marinette pressed. “What did you see in the pictures?”

Alya smiled, bringing up file after file. “As best as I can tell, at least in those pictures from Francoise Dupont, those purified butterflies started their journey headed the same direction every time.”

Adrien’s hand squeezed her shoulder, as the realization finally dawned on him. “You think they are headed home?”

Alya nodded. “I’m not sure what else to think.” 

Marinette finally dared to speak. “It’s definitely possible. No one really understands how Hawk Moth’s powers work.”

“With all of the extra efforts that Ladybug and Chat Noir go to in seeing that the Akumatized are doing okay or when they need to race away because their powers are about to fade, I’m sure that they would have realized too. Eventually.”

Alya’s brows furrowed. “Luckily, I’ve been close enough to the battles from time to time to see it in person. It has been bothering me for a while." 

Adrien responded, genuinely. “That is a really good idea. Have you ever told Ladybug?”

Alya shrugged. "I’ve thought about it. But it is incredibly rare to find Ladybug alone. I’m not even sure when I could try."

Marinette raised her brows. “I don’t like to know you’re so close to fights…but maybe it would be worth it if it isn’t one of the crazy ones with massive damage. You can just try and beat the other reporters afterward."

Alya grinned, victoriously grabbing the last cookie from the plate. “You say that like I haven’t been the first one in before.”

* * *

“There she is,” Ladybug noted with a smile, nodding at the sight of Alya pedalling her bike in.

“If Hawk Moth could have bothered to stay on the other side of Paris, we could have ended this battle a while ago.”

Ladybug grinned over at him. “Think we could get to you hold off on using powers so you can chase down a few butterflies? It looks like there are plenty of civilians around to help the victim once we get her free.”

Chat unleashed a cheeky grin as he flashed his claws. “You know I’m pretty good at _cat_ ching things, Bugaboo. Too bad your Lucky Charm wasn’t a net."

“I don’t want you to get close enough to snag it… just to figure out where it is headed.” She looked at him, anxiously, tapping his bell to quickly and effectively pull his focus. “I don’t want to send you alone into the butterflies’ den.” 

His smile softened. He nodded silently. “I’ll be careful, My Lady.”

Sorely tempted to let her eyes follow him off into the distance, Ladybug scanned the stairs below. Thankfully, Alya was drawing close.

She set her monitor on her yoyo, leaving it open behind her back. 

“Ladybug, there you are!” She exclaimed happily. “I wanted to get a quick statement for the anniversary of the Ladyblog but first, I have an idea I need to tell you.”

Ladybug grinned. “Funny you should mention that. I had a favor I wanted to ask you, too.”

* * *

Nino frowned as he and Alya raced toward the battle. “You’re sure she wanted you to do this?”

“She said she wanted me to record something,” Alya responded adamantly. “She told me I was the only one she trusted to do it.”

Nino panted as they rounded the corner. “She didn’t tell you what?”

“She didn’t have time before her timer was beeping like crazy,” Alya shook her head, tugging his shirt back to keep him safely out of the way of a bit of flying debris. “She just said I’d know it when I heard it. And no matter what, to just keep filming.

* * *

“You’re not listening.” Ladybug glared across the divide. “Again.”

Chat Noir snorted derisively. “Now you know how I feel.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Ladybug exclaimed loudly in reply. 

He scoffed. “You mean you don’t have all the answers?” 

Her eyes narrowed. “Clearly not.”

“How many times have I died for you, only to be nothing more than a joke? This whole city thinks I'm nothing more than a joke."

“Maybe it's the endless puns?” Ladybug fired back. “Couldn’t you just _stop_?”

“I do nothing else _but_ stop. I’m a shield to you, My Lady." He glowered, strident sarcasm sharpening his claws. “And nothing else. And you’ve made sure I know it. Over and over and over again.”

She scowled at him, silent as the tension built between them. “You _know_ there is someone in my heart. There always, _always_ has been.”

“Yes, but I thought we were friends at least.”

“Just friends.” She replied, a little louder than even she’d intended. “Only ever _friends_. That’s been made abundantly clear.”

“But it wasn’t ever enough, was it?” 

He looked miserable.

Ladybug held onto her yoyo. She wanted nothing more than to reach out to him. “Chat…” 

For his part, Chat Noir didn’t stop, recklessly tugging his baton free. “Don’t bother. I’ll come around when Paris needs me.” Suddenly, he let loose one final barb. “At least _something_ does.”

Dazed, she watched him race away until he ducked behind the roofline.

She dared a quick glance down, sighing as she saw Alya with her phone out, gaping up at her in shock.

* * *

Even knowing it wasn’t real, it had been one of the hardest runs home 

She couldn’t help but doubt, wondering if there were veins of truth hiding amongst the lies.

As soon as she touched down, dropping softly onto the floor of her room, she scrambled downstairs, gathering sweets and tea.

It was already painful enough knowing that a few simple words could reassure him entirely.

_“It’s you.”_

Maybe someday soon, she could tell him.

But it could only ever be after Hawk Moth no longer stood in their way.

It was all the more reason that their fake fight had to be believable. Protecting him was paramount.

* * *

Chat Noir took the long road home. Eventually, he found his way back to her balcony.

He opened up the hatch window, looking in hesitantly. 

Marinette looked up at the noise. When her gaze met with his, she rewarded him with a relieved smile. “Please come in.” 

Carefully, he opened the skyline, using his baton to gently land on the floor and quietly close the skylight behind him.

Breathing deeply, he pulled her into a fierce hug. 

Rising onto her tiptoes, she whispered into his ear. “You okay?” 

Chat squeezed her shoulders gently. “I am now.”

“Thank you for doing the hard part.”

Lips parted, he exhaled sharply. “I’ve had a cataclysm spell rebound against my chest, and that hurt less.”

“My poor Chaton.” She cooed, ruffling his hair fondly. If he noticed how dangerously close she came to petting his ears, he didn’t say a word. “Have I mentioned today how glad I am that _you_ are my partner?”

“No…” He murmured. “But if you could add it to your calendar for the next few weeks, I think I’d be over the moon.”

“Not sure my yoyo ports over so easily.”

He let his transformation unravel. “I'm sure you have another calendar, Marinette.”

Flushing, she glanced down at the shirt and over shirt that had featured in far too many daydreams for years now. She spun on her heel, walking over to stuff something into her mouth before her foot got there first.

Taking a massive bite of her macaron, she waited until she choked it down before she answered. “I’m not sure we could do this at school without bringing on a lot of questions.”

Chuckling, Adrien picked up a sweet of his own. “That’s a pity. We both don’t need anyone watching us closely right now.”

Marinette nodded. “Why don’t we settle for snacks and a little Ultimate Mecha Strike instead?”

Adrien beamed. “Consider me _purr_ suaded.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be surprised if you see the chapter number change sometime soon!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to Dqawesomeness and Pizzaaa for beta reading!

As soon as school ended for the day, Marinette rushed out of the classroom, leaving a stunned Alya in her wake. Right now, she couldn’t afford to waste a single minute of planning time. She really needed to train the whole team quickly.

“Marinette?” Alya called out, shouting down over the second-floor railing to where Marinette was already turning towards the school entrance. Nino and Adrien quietly stepped to the rail just beside her. “Where are you going?”

“Sorry!” She waved apologetically, her eyes inevitably drifting over to Adrien’s confused green eyes, “There’s an emergency at the bakery!”

Turning on her heel, she raced home, not stopping to breathe until she dropped her school bag into her room.

“Marinette?” Tikki murmured, as she sped out of her purse. “You weren’t going to wait for Adrien?”

Marinette shook her head, sitting down at her desk. “He’ll be here soon. I'm sure of it.” Her eyes kept darting over to the skylight.

Tikki frowned. “But _should_ he?”

Her brows furrowed, as her gaze shot back down to her Kwami. “Hawkmoth is coming after us. In the last three battles alone, Hawkmoth had gone after three people with either broken hearts or having a falling out amongst friends. All within three days. Why else would he target so many classmates and friends so close to home? Why else was every single one so brokenhearted and angry?”

Tikki hovered beside her. “There had to be others in Paris who had a bad day...” 

“But he didn’t go after a single one.” Nodding, Marinette pulled up the Ladyblog’s footage of their feigned fight. If the page views were any indication, Hawkmoth was not the only one who was watching. Speculation was rife on all of the forums. 

“That settles it.” Marinette shut her eyes finally. “We really can’t be seen together as Ladybug and Chat Noir. Not anytime soon.”

“Does Adrien know that?” She didn't need her eyes open to hear the Tikki's voice.

“Adrien is smart, Tikki,” Marinette assured. “He must have already realized that much. Besides, we can talk at school if we can sneak away from prying ears.”

Tikki’s eyes narrowed, as she ducked down into Marinette’s desk drawer for her stash of sweets. “Alya isn’t likely to let that happen, Marinette. She’s been pulling for you and Adrien to finally get together for much too long.”

Marinette sighed. “You’re forgetting that we still have to consider Kagami’s feelings. Plus, it’s going to be almost impossible for Adrien to get away after school. Even if he can get away from his extra lessons, there is always the risk of him being spotted…”

Tikki nibbled thoughtfully. “Where does that leave us, then?”

A sudden knock on her skylight interrupted them both.

Marinette looked up. “Chat…”

“Why did you rush off?” Chat Noir slid to the floor on his baton, detransforming almost the instant his boots hit the floorboards. Plagg spiraled off, veering up to chatter with Tikki up on Marinette’s loft bed.

“He’s definitely coming after us.” Marinette nodded to the screen. “At first, I figured he was just targeting similar situations, trying to make us more sympathetic to their issues.”

“Yeah,” Adrien frowned, his hand falling on the desk chair behind her. “Only, why would he target people around our age, in this neighborhood?”

Marinette nibbled at her lip, trying to ignore his tendency to linger close to her. “We have to assume he’s trying to eliminate people and hoping he gets lucky enough to stumble onto at least one of us.”

Adrien’s brows furrowed... “That means he’ll be watching us more intently now.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, pacing where she had already worn a pattern into the floorboard with her slippers. “You won’t really be able to visit up here.”

“What?” He looked stunned. “You can’t mean that. How else am I supposed to help keep you safe?”

“You can’t be seen here as Chat Noir. Not for a while, at least.” Marinette sighed. “It’s the same reason why I couldn’t drop in on you as Ladybug. It would just make you a target. It’s all for nothing if you are spotted and anyone figures out _why_ you’re stopping here.”

Adrien smirked, revealing the mischievous side that was usually accompanied by a pair of cat ears. “What? I couldn’t have developed a crush on you after seeing just how well you wield powers?”

Marinette blushed at the implication, but her mind was moving much more slowly. His words had left her more than a little stunned.

“Marinette?” Adrien crouched down slightly, resting a hand on her shoulder. “Are you alright?”

However, it was knowing that any hope for a relationship was impossible until Hawkmoth was defeated made her feel more sad than she ought to be. “If you actually thought that way, I’d be really disappointed.”

“Hey.” Adrien tilted his head, smiling softly. “I was the one calling you our Everyday Ladybug way before all that. Because you reminded me of my partner. You know I had to turn you down in front of your parents because nothing could have stopped my feelings for Ladybug. Not back then.”

Silent, she searched his eyes. Far too serious, the words, “What about now?” dared to trip off her tongue.

Confusion warred over his features, winning the battle. He pulled his hand away, running his fingertips through the neatly styled bit just above his ear. 

She snorted, ruthlessly reminding herself that it still wasn’t safe for him to know about her own struggles. “Little did you know that was your best chance…”

“What?” He yelped.

Tikki took pity on him. “She’s teasing you, Chat Noir.” 

Adrien blinked over at her.

“As I recall,” Tikki grinned, buying Marinette a moment to compose herself. “She was more annoyed that you seemed to be coming to return her feelings. Especially, after she’d only claimed it was to throw you off her scent and expose her identity.”

“I am sorry about that.” Marinette closed her eyes, sitting down on the chaise. “I never planned to hurt your feelings, you know?”

He sat on the seat beside her, hands hanging uselessly at his side. “You mean, you _never_ liked me?”

“Adrien, if I didn’t like you, I wouldn’t have spent so much time with you.” She smiled softly, her hands cupping and patting his cheek. “You’ve seen how I can avoid Chloe or Lila as much as possible.” She shook her head, forcing her gaze away from him, knowing that she was bordering on showing him the feelings she wasn’t free to give him yet. “I really love... having you here, I mean...it’s just that with Hawkmoth watching us so closely…I’m not willing to take any chances. Neither of us can afford to get Akumatized.”

Adrien seemed to accept that. “Like with Chloe when she was Queen Wasp?”

Marinette nodded. “Except that it might be almost worse if it happened before we transformed. If the Akumatized are trying to hand over the Miraculous...imagine if that Miraculous was already in the Akuma’s hand from the start?”

Face growing suddenly pale, Adrien shivered. “I can’t even imagine how I’d try to save Paris if you were Akumatized.”

“That reminds me,” He looked uncertain as his hand reached out, gently resting atop hers. “Are _you_ doing alright?”

She frowned. “What do you mean?” 

“I came because I was worried about you.” 

Marinette glanced over at him, subconsciously wetting her lower lip. “I’m fine, Adrien.”

He shook his head, resting his arm around her shoulders. “You seemed really upset the other day.”

Try as she might, Marinette knew there was no way she was going to refuse him. She leaned into his half embrace, relishing in his closeness. “Just feeling a little lonely. It’s been hard to watch others...and dating wasn’t exactly the easiest thing with the full weight of being the Guardian on my shoulders. Besides, it wasn’t like we could talk about it otherwise. Not with Nino and Alya around.”

“You’re amazing. You know that, right?” 

She turned towards him, hugging him more tightly. 

“I know you didn’t want all this.” He whispered. “Maybe it’s just my very biased opinion, but I don’t think anyone else could have done nearly half as much as you have.”

“I wouldn’t have managed it all without you by my side.” She plastered on the most certain smile she could muster. “We’ll make it through this somehow. It’s not going to be easy but we will beat this. _Together_.”

Blinking, Adrien’s expression grew soft. “How about if I tried to come over more? As myself, of course.”

“Adrien,” Marinette chuckled ruefully. “Your fans will only make that impossible. And neither of us can afford for your Father to ground you.”

He frowned, hand slipping up to gently scratch at the scruffy hair at the base of his neck. “I hate that I can’t help you more, Marinette.”

“Don’t worry, Chaton.” She grinned, standing up. “I’ll figure something out.”

Releasing an appreciative sigh, Adrien stood up, preparing to call Plagg back to action. 

“I know you will, Marinette.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks go out to JuliaFC for beta reading this installment!

Weary after a very late night spent planning, Adrien slowly shuffled down the stairs to sit down to breakfast. 

He could tell that Marinette was putting on a brave face. He had to prove to her he was more than capable. She shouldn’t be the only one to have that burden on her shoulders. He was perfectly able to come up with a simple plan for them to communicate.

He sighed into a forkful of eggs. If only his Father hadn’t pushed him into modelling, he could sneak away for longer as himself.

“Adrien.” He looked up at the doorway. 

A little stunned to actually see his Father’s face, Adrien was quick to bring his jaw back into place. 

“I want you to come straight home from school. The attacks are getting far more dangerous.”

“What about fencing?” Adrien frowned. “And study sessions.”

“Arrangements will be made.” Gabriel’s tone brooked no further argument. “Right now, there is no safer place in Paris than this house.”

Resigned, he sighed. “Yes, Father.”

Adrien trudged into school. He headed out as early as the Gorilla was willing to drive him there, wanting to get out of the house as much as possible. 

Right when he needed the freedom to escape the most, he could already feel the heavy bars closing in.

* * *

At lunchtime, he headed to the lockers with Nino.

They went to put their bags in the lockers and get the needed textbooks for later.

There, inside the locker, was a folded-up letter on pink paper. It wasn’t like his usual fan mail from girls (and boys) who were big fans. There were no hearts, only his name on the outside.

Opening it up, he started to scan the first few lines.

Nino looked pleasantly surprised. “Is that from Marinette?”

Adrien nodded, beaming. 

Peaking over his shoulder, Nino seemed nearly as excited as he felt.

Quickly, he shut the letter, reading the fateful words from her: _“Keep this secret.”_

Blinking, Nino wheeled back in confusion. 

Glancing over at him, Adrien bit his lip. “Hey, Nino. Could you not tell Alya? At least...not yet?"

Hesitating for only a few moments, Nino finally shrugged. “Whatever you need, dude.”

“Thank you,” Adrien grinned widely, pocketing the note. He would have to wait to read the rest when he could actually be alone.

The paper burned a hole in his pocket, made him suddenly very eager to head home.

Nino adjusted his cap, keeping pace beside him as he raced out to the car. “You are going to tell Alya eventually, right?” His friend winced. “I mean, I’ll do what I can, but you know how Alya can be completely determined when it comes to uncovering secrets.”

Snickering, Adrien set his arm over Nino’s shoulder. “I promise, when the time is right, Alya will know everything there is to know.”

* * *

Sitting in his room, Adrien retrieved the letter, with Plagg hovering over his shoulder.

After her opening warning, the message itself was brief. 

If anyone thought they were being suspicious, the explanation was quite simple: Planning everything to a T, Marinette had decided upon a cover story: that they were making a Ladybug themed game for Alya’s birthday.

She claimed all the subterfuge they’d gone to for her birthday was the inspiration.

Only now, they’d be far more sneaky.

They were going to plan, far more openly in general, but treat it like they are playing and strategizing a game. In fact, if he knew Marinette, he was sure she had every intention of following through.

Plagg loved how sneaky she actually was and totally approved. “I underestimated her,” he said proudly.

Adrien beamed, murmuring softly. “I learned never to do that on that first day.”

It wasn’t a bad idea anyways. But for now, he could talk about it more publicly without too much worry. They could probably both get Max to help balance the game, later, too.

It was kind of a shame. They could trust Alya… but she and Nino were already at risk. It was clear Marinette didn’t want her to know too much.

Despite a brief thought of keeping her note as a souvenir, he thought better of it. His eyed lingered on the note thoughtfully. “Think I could keep this?”

Plagg shook his head. “Better not.”

With a heavy sigh, Adrien handed it over. 

“I wouldn’t worry,” Plagg comforted, as he held the paper in his hands, crumpling up. “You’re bound to be talking even more now.”

Adrien couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

At least until Plagg swallowed the pink note whole, washing it down with a Camembert chaser.

Adrien wrinkled up his nose, scowling at his Kwami. “Plagg? Are you sure you’re the black cat and not the goat?

Snorting, Plagg rolled his eyes. “Obviously, not. The Goat is Ziggy.”

Thankfully, Adrien already had a hand in front of his nose when Plagg unleashed a particularly foul burp.

* * *

Walking up to the school building as the Gorilla’s sedan pulled away, Adrien quickly ducked back out of school while Principal Damocles was talking to a few of the other students. He figured his best bet to catch up with Marinette was to catch her on her way back from lunch.

He ducked into the alley near the school, out of sight and ready to tap her on the shoulder, as she walked to school.

Of course, he had expected that she would be alone.

Alya is halfway to squealing when she spots Adrien trying to get Marinette’s attention. She had dropped her bag, scrambling to pull the camera on her phone out as fast as humanly possible.

With a heavy sigh, Marinette glanced back over her shoulder at Alya before pulling him along behind her until Alya couldn’t overhear or film them so easily. 

He frowned… clearly troubled by her obvious irritation. “What’s wrong?”

She squeezed his hand. Close and secretive, she’s touching his shoulder and he’s just barely covering the fact that is making him 20 kinds of melty. 

“You don’t really ever approach me before classes, Adrien. Alya is bound to notice something unusual like that.”

“So she’ll think I’m just… I dunno, confessing or something.” He shrugged, hoping it appeared far more nonchalant than he felt.

“The cover might work for Alya, but there was no way she’d keep it a secret, and we’d all make targets of one another for Hawkmoth.” Marinette shot back, her blue eyes animated as she stood toe to toe with him as she did countless times before.

Adrien flushed a deep red. Without the mask, it was only affecting him all the more. His eyes dropped to where Marinette’s hand was still clasping his. “You ran off holding my hand. There was no Akuma. Alya is going to draw her own conclusions." 

Her gaze followed his, dropping his hand only after she realized the position they were in. 

"And Nino saw your note earlier."

“Ugh,” Marinette facepalmed. “This is not good.”

“Would it really be such a bad thing if they thought that?” Adrien frowned. “Considering how often we both have to disappear…”

“I’m not willing to put you at risk like that, Adrien.” She pulled back, looking up at him anxiously. “I _can’t_ afford to lose you.”

He was a little heartbroken, because he would relish even the chance to pretend a relationship with his best friend. Everything he wanted was literally in reach… but it was also so impossibly far away.

As much as it hurt, he smiled. It might be a little strained, but she needed to see that. “You’re right.”

She looked at him in concern, squeezing his hand. “Thank you, Chaton.”

Adrien smiled guilelessly as they met up with Alya and Nino. “Marinette asked me to come over to the bakery for a special macaron she made. It seems she forgot it in her rush to come in this morning. But I can’t really go. Father is getting anxious about the uptick in attacks.”

At least, it was much easier to lie to his other friends.

* * *

For the first time in a long time, Adrien was glad that his Father hadn’t come down to dinner. It was much easier to eat and run without the watchful eye of his Father or Nathalie. She caught him, racing back up the stairs after he’d finished eating. 

“Adrien?” Nathalie blinked, moving far more slowly than she usually had. But at least after the past few months she was back up out of bed for more than an hour or two at a time. “What’s the rush?”

Smiling down from the top of the steps, Adrien shrugged. “I’ve got a whole pile of homework to get through tonight.”

Blinking, Nathalie glanced down at her tablet. “You have a photoshoot tomorrow morning. Should I wake you up earlier? Or should we see about delaying your piano lessons?”

Grinning, Adrien shook his head, backing away slowly towards his door. “If all goes well, I’ll be in bed around the normal time.” 

* * *

After two hours of plowing through the homework assignments together on video chat, they were finally done with it. Together, they had managed to finish it all in record time for the pile of assignments they had to wrangle. 

Considering how many battles they’d fought together, maybe that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

But now that the books could be put away, they could finally turn their focus towards the real assignment: plotting out a training regiment and an overall plan of attack for what Hawkmoth was likely to throw at that.

Adrien smiled at Marinette’s face on the screen. “What do you think about pairing them up in groups of two? I might be biased, but I think combinations usually work well.”

Marinette frowned. “I generally like the idea of the buddy system. Only we’ve proven that can make them vulnerable to turning.”

It had to go unsaid. After Scarlet Moth had turned Rena, Carapace, and Queen Bee, they both knew they couldn’t be as poorly prepared this time. 

He tapped his finger on his lip. “But with practice? Not everyone knows each other so well, right?”

Cryptically, she tilted her head before agreeing. “The assignments were more careful, yes.”

He exhaled in relief. “Getting them to feel calm and prepared should be the focus, then. People feel more in control when they know what they need to do, even when it gets tough.” He pulled up a sheet of paper with all of the Miraculous listed out.

“That makes sense,” she agreed, “if they would know what to do without guidance, but could be pulled in for a specific task for their powers in a moment.”

“It would be much easier if they could partner up with someone who they might know and trust. That would make it work so much more easily for the background tasks to help turn the tide of battle.”

He looked at her in silent question. His pencil tapped on the page in front of him, looking over the Miraculous names. There were only a few of the faces he knew behind the mask. Kagami and Luka. Plus Alix, once she finally got the real thing.

Whenever _that_ was supposed to be...

“You’re not wrong,” she whispered. 

Adrien looked up in surprise, uncertain if he was actually about to learn something new.

“Maybe we should focus on some of the compatible power sets? Like the Snake and the Dragon. Their powers seemed to work pretty well in tandem.” 

His cheeks warmed, thinking back upon that tough battle far more fondly than it probably deserved. “Ladybug and Chat Noir proved that, didn’t they?”

Ruefully, Marinette smirked. “We will need them to run point… if our Ladybug and Chat Noir get pulled away.”

“Makes sense.”

“Then I could take the snake—”

Shaking his head, Adrien cut her off. “Let’s switch.”

Her brows rose. 

Adrien winced, feeling more than a little guilty. “It would be much easier if he could train with Viperion, and Ryuuko practiced together with Ladybug. I mean, we really can’t afford for them to figure it out, right?” 

To be fair, Kagami really was a little too observant. 

Marinette agreed quickly. “That’s fine.”

Relieved, Adrien smiled. He didn’t want to risk hurting Kagami anymore than he already had. She might not know he was hiding behind Chat Noir’s mask, but it wasn’t worth risking her figuring it out mid-battle. 

She continued on. “They're both pretty good at handling the duties, but it is the strategy that could probably use a bit of fine tuning.”

“Working with each of us would allow us to figure out where they would tend to go and help push them in the right direction.”

“I wouldn’t mind a second chance to get that right.” He winked.

As Marinette obligingly rolled her eyes, he was left to wonder why Marinette was hesitant to give Luka the Miraculous in the first place. 

She shook her head. “Since that’s settled, we should probably keep going.”

“Hawkmoth is going to see that we have the others out.”

“If he were smart, he would probably be planning a mass attack again.”

“We have to assume he is.”

Plagg snorted subtly as he noisily ate Camember on the desk.

“At least he plans nearly as much as you do,” Adrien chuckled, fondly. 

His eyes inevitably strayed back to the screen, eager to watch her planning without the mask. Much to his surprise, Marinette looked a little startled at that. She flinched, scrunching up her nose thoughtfully before sitting up straight. “That’s entirely possible, unfortunately.”

Uncertain what it was about his words that made Marinette uncomfortable, Adrien was quick to move on. This was the most fun he’d had doing homework since school started. Even if she didn’t love him like he loved her still, he was happy enough to cherish whatever time he could get with her.

“Then, I guess we need to plan for handling another massive mob?” He prompted.

“It should still be the same idea: Who else would work well together?”

He sat back in his chair. “More people on the field means more fighting approaches to manage. I guess it would be easier for people to watch each other's backs.”

Marinette sighed. “Except that became a problem when Scarlet Moth came into play.”

“Why was that?” He wondered aloud as he sat back in his chair. “I never was entirely sure.”

Her fingertips drifted up to massage her temples. “I was in such a rush, I managed to find them both together when I needed to.

Adrien’s brows rose. “They knew each other outside of the mask?”

“Worse,” Marinette sighed. “They were dating each other.”

“ _Oh_ ,” Adrien breathed. No wonder she had doubled down on keeping their identities secret after that. 

According to Marinette, most of the pairs, like Rena and Carapace actually, knew each other outside of the masks. If that mask dropped, they would be vulnerable. 

Marinette’s smile wavered slightly. “I know it might seem a little ruthless, but it really is safer to keep everyone else in the dark.”

Adrien stared at her, hesitating for a moment. He understood that all too well. Maybe even better than she had realized. “Attacks become more desperate to save those you really care about.”

“We can’t afford for anyone to make a misstep. Hawkmoth will just be waiting for that.” She was much quieter when she spoke again. “I don't think we can afford to lose anyone.” 

Squinting at her rigid posture, Adrien shook his head. “You know that’s not always possible, don’t you?”

She nodded curtly. “I do. And I totally understand wanting to save someone you care about. Needing to do it, in fact. However, the best way to protect them is to push you both out of the way rather than to leap in front of the hit.”

Adrien slumped back in his chair. “Then, you want them all to be ready to look for another way.”

She watched him carefully, clearing her throat and swallowing before she dared to speak.

“It’s really hard feeling like you’re doing this all alone,” she whispered. “That’s exactly the kind of feeling of hopelessness that _he_ preys on.”

Plagg peered up at him, concern clear in his glowing green eyes. “She’s saying that she doesn’t want _you_ to do that.”

Adrien’s tongue darted out, wetting his lips. Not that he couldn't be recorded or heard. “I got that. Loud and clear.”

“Good.” Marinette smiled. “Then, let’s keep going.”

* * *

Barely fifteen minutes later, they had half the team formed into pairs.

The Mouse and the Ox were better with emotional control and might be key against the Sentimonsters, depending upon what kind of emotion was used. 

The Pig and the Tiger were also a pair. Between the two they had surprising strength. Frequently underestimated, but can be outright vicious when they need to.

With the Chicken and Goat rounding out the team, that set of 6 could largely focus on the crown control. 

If Hawkmoth managed to turn a mob army again, they would be ready for him this time. 

“What about the Horse?” Adrien tilted his head. “The attack is not the best in a more physical game.” 

“Sure, but the Horse can move fast and view the field from a wider range.” Her eyes darted around on the paper in front of her. “Paired with the Monkey, they could probably find and break open holes far more easily.”

“The Monkey would be good for that.”

She nodded. “Problem is, you can see him coming. So with the horse’s speed, they’re a bit of an unbeatable combination.”

“Always the ideal.” Adrien beamed, pencil scribbling across the page without looking up. “What about the Rabbit?”

When he looked back up the screen, Marinette was worrying her lip. “That’s hard to say really. It’s such a wild card, but it has only appeared at weird times.”

“Is there anything it might work well with?”

“She could work with the Dog, but the rabbit powers might actually be the ones we want to protect most, just in case it all goes wrong.” 

“What about the Bee?”

He could practically hear the sigh before it slipped past her lips. “That's a loaded question.”

“What about the possibility of calling in outside help? Maybe the Horse could be used to pull them in?” 

That New York trip was not all that far from his mind. With AstroChat...or Pegasus, far less was impossible now. 

Hmmm,” Marinette hummed. “Not sure we could count on that…”

“A card to keep for our back pocket, then?” He beamed, eager for her approval.

“We’d have a pair of those high powered cards for the powers deck.” She kept staring down at the page of notes in front of her. “It still really feels like it is missing something.”

His attention to her was rapt, watching every fretful fidget of her hands… every slightest slump in her posture. “If you’re not ready to pull this all together, we don’t have to start. Not until you’re sure.”

Her eyes were soft, a genuine smile half lighting up her face. “It’s sweet of you to say, but right now, we don’t really have time to waste.” She subtly coughed. “ _Her birthday_ will be here soon. I think we are just going to have to muddle our way forward here. We need to see what will work, and what won’t.

Adrien sat forward in his chair, his toes bouncing. “I don’t mind starting to _play test_ the game tonight. Think I could pick it up from your place?”

After a tense moment, she nodded. “You’re the only one I can trust to do this with me.”

Adrien smiled softly. “That means a lot, Marinette.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to JuliaFC and Texadian for beta reading.

Baton spinning in hand to fend off the attack, Chat Noir steadied himself for the next strike.

Grinning, he leapt forward, tapping his opponent with the end of the baton. It would be folly to wait for it to come.

Scowling, Viperion fended him off with the lyre. 

Wheeling back, Chat Noir tapped at his wrist. “We need to go again.”

Luka may have been good right now, but his instincts needed to be sharper. He wasn’t about to trust Marinette’s safety to anything less.

Wearily, Viperion nodded his head. 

Even if he was smiling, Chat Noir truly could sympathize. He didn’t need to ask to be sure Luka had already lived through this moment at least a few dozen times. Luka’s obvious irritation breaking through his usual calm was telling enough. 

Smiling in an attempt to cheer up his friend, Chat Noir clapped his hand on his shoulder. “This next time, try to feint first before you come at me.” 

Smirking, Viperion holstered the green lyre. “Not the first time I’ve heard that.”

“No,” Chat Noir struggled to stifle a dark laugh. He understood far better than he’d ever be able to say. “I’d imagine not.”

* * *

After her homework session had ended with Adrien, Marinette scrambled to kick more of her brewing plans into gear. “Okay,” she murmured. “I need to stop in and see Alya, but that shouldn’t take too long.”

Tikki nodded. “What about Bunnyx?”

Marinette nibbled at her lip. “I’m still really hesitant to use Alix.”

“Think about it, Marinette.” Tikki assured. “I’m not telling you that Bunnyx needs to come out. But if you trusted Fluff to her, Alix must really be capable.”

Marinette slipped her house shoes off, changing to another pair of flats, just in case. “She’s basically been raised surrounded by historians.” Her eyes narrowed. “And her brother, of course.”

Tikki nodded. “You remember when Pharoah struck.”

Tilting her head, Marinette glanced back at Tikki thoughtfully. “Do you think there are others out there in history?”

“It is entirely possible there are other tales out there to explore.” The Kwami agreed. “My memory of my own holders is long, but it exists in pieces. I cannot see what happens outside when I go back into the box.”

Marinette eyed her notes from training with Master Fu, mulling over the possibilities.

It would be easy enough to keep Alya busy and focused on another project that didn’t revolve around her lack of a romantic life. Marinette really knew that she had no choice if she was going to survive the last few days of the semester before break.

Alix was too clever for her own good. It was exactly what would make her so valuable in the future.

But for now…

Now they needed every possible angle of attack they could get.

“Okay,” Marinette conceded with a sigh. “I’ll stop in to see her, too.”

* * *

She hadn’t expected a crowd at Alix’s house. Marc and Nathaniel were there, too.

Alix’s eyes were wide when she tugged the window open. “Ladybug?”

Plastering on a smile, Ladybug stepped inside. “I’m afraid I need a favor.”

Alix simply grinned. “If I can do it, you’ve got it.”

“You remember Pharaoh?” 

Alix snorted. “I haven’t let Jalil forget it.”

“I learned one thing that day. Something I have never forgotten.” Her head tilted ruefully. “I am not the first Ladybug.” 

Her eyes widened. Alix grasped the significance immediately. “There are others.” 

“There are. Other stories. Maybe even other powers.”

Alix’s eyes glimmered. “Maybe even the same for the others, too.”

Ladybug shrugged. “It is entirely possible. But whatever they might have been, they’ve managed to stay hidden for this long.”

Marc chuckled. “Maybe we can find something, too. After all, life has a way of inspiring art.”

Alix’s eyes narrowed. “What do we do if we find something?”

Grinning, Ladybug leapt back onto the window sill. “I have a new patrol route, so I’ll be able to stop and check in from time to time.

* * *

Ladybug dropped in to see Alya. She had a few pictures she had gathered, and she would head out that way to see if she could make sense of where the butterfly might have headed.

Considering how close she had to be to Adrien, keeping Alya distracted was absolutely essential. 

Besides, her best friend had mentioned a very interesting avenue or pursuit.

Hawkmoth already knew far too much about them...it was time to even those odds.

She came to a swinging stop, balancing up the Cesaire balcony.

The twins answered in stereo. “Ladybug?”

Crouching down to their level, she beamed at the two of them. “Could you go get Alya for me?”

* * *

Minutes later, an anxious Alya tugged her inside and didn’t stop until they were safely holed up in her room.

Alya frowned, pacing on the short, open stretch of floor beside her bed. “The speculation on the forums has been a bit… intense.”

Ladybug smiled sadly, eyes following her friend. “I’m not surprised, really.”

Alya’s eyes were haunted, fretting with her hair as she looked up. “Honestly, I had half forgotten about what you called me about when that footage aired. I just got caught up in the fight itself.” She shook her head. “Neither Nino or I knew quite what to make of it.” 

Ladybug smiled sadly. “That’s just as well, really. I wasn’t exactly in the mood to talk after that.” 

“Hey.” Grabbing her hand, Alya squeezed it comfortably. “Are you and Chat Noir okay?”

Turning away carefully, Ladybug shrugged. She didn’t dare to face her best friend, uncertain she could lie well enough. “We’ve been through worse than this before.” She bit her lip...puzzling how best to answer. “He just needs to understand that I can’t always do what he wants. No matter if I might want to do that too. Sometimes that is just part of being a superhero.”

Alya nodded, sagely. “It does seem to come with the territory.”

“He’ll be okay,” Ladybug confided. “But we’re going to stay apart for a while. Just to be safe.”

“So, I can’t really help you?”

Ladybug shook her head, a slow smile building on her lips. “Not with that, anyways.” 

Alya arched a speculative brow. “You had something else in mind.”

“I’ve been trying to puzzle out some new strategies, but unfortunately with the timer and all, I can only see what is there on the battlefield before I need to get away and keep safe.”

Grinning, Alya sat down in front of her computer. “Funny, you should ask about that…”

* * *

Sparring ran a bit later than expected, and neither of them were all too sure where they’d left Luka’s bike locked up.

It took nearly twenty minutes, but it wasn’t like Luka had been on the Liberty when he found him.

Sass’s transformation unraveled once they were both safely out of sight. 

Holding out his hand to take back the Miraculous from Luka, Chat Noir waited. . The silent frown was a fairly clear indication that he saw the fight too and was worried.

“Don’t worry about Ladybug and I. We’ve been through harder times.”

“It doesn’t seem like she was listening to you.” Luka’s brows furrowed. Why had he waited until now, when Chat wasn’t nothing more than to get back to Marinette’s to pass along words of wisdom. 

Chat smiled. “She _can_ be stubborn. But I know she usually has the best intentions at heart.”

“If you’re sure.” 

Tilting his head, Chat Noir watched him carefully. Luka had been hurt himself after all, but he couldn’t bring himself to be that sad about it. The older boy had picked up the fractured pieces of his heart far more easily than he ever would have been able.

If that fight had been real, Hawkmoth would probably have had a very real chance of swaying him.

He shrugged. “I’ve survived a Cataclysm to the stomach.”

Luka’s eyes narrowed. Without his mask, the strike wasn’t telegraphed at all, but it was no less effective than the handful of solid hits he’d gotten in during practice. “That doesn’t mean it didn’t leave you unscathed.”

* * *

Chat Noir rushed past Marinette’s balcony, before making a furtive detour back up to her balcony to return the Snake Miraculous.

After the time apart — and Luka’s warning — he still needed to be able to see her. He needed a hug for reassurance.

She had her school bag up with her, leaning against the wall. With final exams coming soon, they had to sneak in every possible minute they could. 

She stayed out, sketching on the rooftop to give him an excuse to stop in and _chat_. Unfortunately, she must have fallen asleep on the lounger as she waited for him.

Nudging her shoulder gently, Chat Noir tried to wake her up. “Marinette?” He whispered.

Instead, Marinette’s nose wrinkled up, hiding even more beneath her blanket.

Grinning, he reached down, lifting her shoulders so he could sit down comfortably beside her. 

Obviously her stubbornness didn’t stop even as she slept. Smiling fondly, his hands gently rubbed her arms, and just as she had moments ago. She shivered slightly as she cuddled up to him, leaning into his warmth.

“Adrien…” she whispered, nuzzling against his neck. 

His cheeks suddenly felt like the warmest thing on his body. Fighting to keep her steady, he kept up the gentle circles he was tracing on her upper arms, softly calling her name. 

“Sorry,” she murmured her cheeks growing pink in the fairy light glow. Dazedly, she sat up, realizing her head had drifted against his shoulder. “Was I out for long?”

He beamed. “I’ve only been here a little while.”

She glanced at her phone sitting on the tiny side table. “How long were you out and training?”

“A while.” His gaze drifted out across the Seine. “We made some good progress.”

She hummed, content just to sit quietly at his side. 

“I almost didn’t want to wake you,” he chuckled. “I _know_ you could use the rest.”

Yawning, she carefully stretched to not accidentally bump into him. “It was a nice dream…”

“Anything particularly inspiring in terms of battle plans?”

“Not really, “ she shrugged. “I was just remembering how much easier life would be if I had only been Multimouse, and nothing more.”

Chat Noir chuckled, holding out the snake Miraculous in his glove. “No one else knows about that little trick, remember? You could still do it if you wanted to.” His eyes darted over to share a secret smirk. “I’d never tell.”

She shook her head, slowly standing back up. “You know it isn’t that simple.”

He glanced up at her, admiring the glow reflecting a little off her hair. “Maybe someday it could all just be simple again…”

She beamed back at him over her shoulder. “If we’re lucky…”

His head tilted. “Then maybe we’ve got some hope.”

Nodding, Marinette lifted the hatch door to take the Miraculous back down into her room.

“Marinette…” he spoke softly as he stood up beside her. “Do me a favor?”

Her brows drew together. “If it is something I can do…”

Chat nodded. “Promise me that you will stay inside if you’re so cold. There’s no sense in you making yourself sick...” Gently his bit his lip as his gaze shifted away suddenly. “I _can_ knock after all.”

“Oh.” The word was barely spoken. She glanced away, too...but only for a second. “I just… I didn’t want to _miss_ you.”

A silly grin broke out across his face, as he unholstered his baton. “I know what that means to you.” His grin grew crooked as he nodded to the snake Miraculous in her hand. “I’m not about to let you down.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm making much better speed for now. I can't promise how quickly things will come out from here, but I'm feeling encouraged. :)


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again go out to JuliaFC and Texadian for beta reading.

Days later, Ladybug was a little breathless. Then again, when sparring on the rooftops with Kagami she couldn’t have expected anything less. 

Without hesitation, Kagami struck, true to form. 

Spinning her yoyo like a shield, it was a struggle, but she did manage to keep Ryuuko from using the full force of her powers.

With a weary sigh, Ladybug held up her hand. “Why don’t we try a break?”

She led Ryuuko away, swinging only a few rooftops over. 

Her muscles protested a little as she sat down beside the set of snacks she’d stashed away. She wasn’t really used to fending off quite that many direct attacks herself. 

Blinking in surprise, Ryuuko sat down beside her, nibbling on one the macaron’s she’d brought.

Belatedly, Ladybug regretted not bringing some drinks. 

“Are you and Chat Noir not working together any more?” 

Dodging the question far better than she performed against that last strike, Ladybug grunted with the effort, gulping down the last bite of macaron. She had barely sidestepped a blow from Ryuuko’s sword that sent water sloshing off the roof. 

That was a tricky question. “He is there when I need him to be, but I have a whole team of heroes to work with.” 

“Yes, but he is the one who is your partner.” Ladybug held her breath. Kagami clearly never learned to pull her punches and could hit with deadly aim. Unfortunately, her armor didn’t protect against that sort of hit.

“I can’t afford any missteps.” Ladybug confided, as she sent her yoyo string spiralling in to prepare for their next bout. “I couldn’t possibly think of someone better to start to cross train with.”

Ryuuko blushed adorably, hiding her smile behind her sword. “I’ll do my best to keep you on your toes.”

* * *

For the past week, she stayed up here on her balcony until late into the evening, even after she patrolled. Between their concerted efforts, they’d gotten through most everyone, walking through more of their powers. 

Some of them could do a lot of damage, which she knew from the first time she trusted them with a Miraculous. In those few cases, it had been much easier to talk them through. It was a far better thing to keep them hidden from Hawkmoth, but not from one of her friends.

She prepped the usual place of macarons for TIkki and Adrien. Chilly as it was, it was much too early to head upstairs until he was due to come back.

Tikki didn’t wait, sneakily stealing a macaron from the plate and resting as she did a bit more homework at her desk.

“Marinette,” Tikki hissed. “Your phone.”

Glancing around, Marinette snagged her phone from the far end of her desk where it was charging.

Blinking, she glanced down at the darkened screen in confusion.

Tikki’s unearthly blue rolled slightly. “Not _that_ phone.”

As soon as she transformed, she pulled up the messages Alya sent Ladybug.

Picture after picture only confirmed one thing: the direction the butterflies were headed was...concerning. 

Considering all the attacks around the neighborhood, it hadn’t surprised her it was so close. But that was a door she’d thought was long since closed…

Hastily, she de-transformed, dashing up the steps almost as fast as she could grab the plate and her heaviest coat.

It might be cold, but she needed to know that Adrien was okay. 

She didn’t want to worry him. Not _yet_. Not until she could be a little more sure.

* * *

After the next battle, Ladybug left right away, anxious to chase this particular butterfly down..

She needed to be sure she knew who they were up against. 

When her fears proved right, she hated it. 

The circumstances of Chat Noir’s ill-fated Akumatization now all made a twisted sort of sense. Only she had no idea why. 

What was awful enough to have let Adrien fall into that sort of despair? Adrien’s life had already been rough enough. His mother’s absence saw to that… and a father who clearly didn’t care enough to be a parent when that should have been his main job.

Even after she had to reject his overtures, Adrien had even managed to come to terms with her rejection and still stayed amazingly positive.

So what on Earth could twist and warp him enough?

And what could she possibly do to prevent that?

Frowning, Ladybug knew she would need to get a picture. He had doubted it last time.

Of _course_ he did. Who would honestly want to believe a parent was capable of so much hate and evil?

Swinging away, the long way home, she fought to clear her head and think.

That things could have gone so wrong, so many times. Adrien was still at risk, far more than she’d ever imagined.

Worse, she knew just how bad everything could _still_ go.

* * *

It hadn’t taken much more than a few notes tucked into lockers to ask everyone to stick around after class a little while longer. After lunch, she came racing back with a massive box of macarons for the whole class.

Adrien would certainly have to leave soon for another of his many extra-extracurricular lessons, but they couldn’t afford to tip off Gabriel. Not yet anyways.

More importantly, Adrien needed to know everyone was there for him. They have been for a while. Everyone liked him for the sweetly kind and genuine person they all knew him to be.

He needed to know how many people cared about him. He had to know that everyone was not going to abandon him, no matter what.

Even Chloe could be trusted to be kind to him. As for Lila...well, she was still Lila and had her own agenda. Marinette hadn’t bothered to leave a message for her. 

As the crowd gathered around Adrien, chattering and cajoling each other, Marinette stood back and smiled.

The soft smile as his lips as he found her face in the crowd of friends made it all worthwhile.

* * *

That night, she was already up on her balcony, preparing herself for the moment he came back from training. She had been pacing for hours, struggling to figure out just the right words.

After all, it was tough enough for her to tell him something important on a good day.

Beaming he dropped onto her balcony, amused

“Chat,” she murmured, bringing the blanket up around her shoulders. “I’ve got news.”

Pouting, he sat beside her on the lounger, rubbing warmth back into her limbs. “I _thought_ we’d agreed you’d stay inside until I knocked.”

“I needed to make sure I didn’t miss you.” Her brow was wrinkled, and the circles under her eyes were far darker as the day’s concealer had faded. “It honestly can’t wait…”

His clawed fingers drew back suddenly. “What is it?

Marinette shut her eyes, forcing herself to focus. “Adrien. Is there anyone else staying at your house?”

Blinking, he sat back, before a thrill of humor burst past his lips. “Are...are you seriously asking?

“Just... _humor_ me, Chat.”

Adrien’s brows furrowed. “Just Dad and Nathalie. The Bodyguard is there all day. _During_ the day at least.”

She handed him the picture...with the butterfly hovering around the window. “I think that the Butterflies are coming from inside your house.”

He dropped onto the ground beside her. She gathered him up in the tightest hug. “I’m worried about you, Kitty.”

He leaned into the hug, into her touch. Tears spilled quietly from his eyes. 

She desperately didn’t want him to stay in that house. She was too worried for him. Her balcony was always open… but if he stayed anywhere else, there was a chance Gabriel might know. 

She tilted her head. “Do _you_ think it is your dad?”

Adrien was still choked up. “ _You_ did. You figured him out years ago.”

“I thought I did.” She nodded. “But he faked us both out.”

“He’s certainly capable of being clever.” A sad smile tugged at his lips. “After all, you were, too.”

She petted his hair, hugging his shoulders with the other arm, as his transformation unraveled. 

“Why? That’s what I can’t really understand. What could possibly possess him to go through all this trouble?” 

He sat quiet, relishing the feel of her fingers repeatedly slipping through his hair. Finally, he flinched. 

“There is only one thing I can think of: my mother.”

Marinette’s fingers stopped in place. He glanced up at them hopefully. 

“Mother was the one who really mattered to him. Not for lack of trying on my part…”

She pulled back, blue eyes meeting his gaze. 

“Adrien, if your father isn’t proud of you, he is a bigger fool than his Akuma costume choices would indicate.”

“I know,” he murmured, “I know. I’ve been mourning for a while now, but Father refuses to deal with the fact that she’s gone.”

Marinette bit her lip. ”Then maybe she isn’t?”

He gaped at her.

Tilting her head, she had to ask. She twined her fingers between his, just as much to comfort him as for the strength she needed to borrow to help get them through all this. 

“When your mother disappeared, what did they tell you?”

He sat quietly for a moment, soft green gaze growing distant the few times his eyes were more than half opened. 

“I remember… after we hadn’t heard anything from so long...not even from my aunt… I’d assumed she must have died.” Adrien scowled. “Even Nathalie was always vague in the details.”

And his bodyguard…. Well, the man never spoke a word.

Her lips pressed together. “Your father never told _you_?”

Adrien shrugged. “He doesn’t like to talk about it.”

Her voice rose slightly. “He doesn’t seem to want to talk about _anything_. But that doesn’t change what he makes others do.”

“Hey,” he grumbled. “Even he can’t make others do that much.”

“Adrien,” Marinette sighed. “He’s made a career of influencing others. Even you have only ever been wearing clothing from his line. Did he ever even let you pick out a thing?”

He winced. “I got to pick the color of my shoes.”

Her fingers bit into the metal bar of the lounger. “Do you even enjoy any of the activities? The fencing? The piano? The Chinese lessons.”

“That’s not the point—”

“Isn’t it?” she whispered sharply. Her tongue poked into her cheek as she inhaled a long breath. “I may have the weight of Paris on my hands, but nearly everyone in school thinks you have too many responsibilities on your plate. Worse, you didn’t have a choice in any of it.”

“If it is him — and only if — there is no reason for him to be doing this.” Adrien raked his fingers through the messy mass of blonde hair. “We have more money than even he knows how to spend. There’s nothing we could even hope to gain.”

Her head tilted, weighing all the little threads that kept seamlessly tying themselves into knots. “It’s possible that _he_ thinks so.”

“How?”

Marinette’s gaze locked with his. “You said it yourself. What is the one thing that matters to him most?”

_Mother._

Wide-eyed, Adrien’s head shot up. “How would that even work?”

“We do have impossible powers, you know.” Marinette shrugged, linking her fingers with his as she pulled his hand into her lap. “I still have plenty left to learn about the Miraculous. However, there is one thing we do know for sure.”

He looked at Marinette. “Hawkmoth has been after our Miraculous to unleash some sort of ultimate power.”

“The powers can combine to create a wish.” Marinette reminded, brows furrowing belatedly. “It was one of the few things Master Fu could tell me for certain once he translated the grimoire.”

Gaping, Adrien’s gaze grew distant, confused. “Is he trying to bring her back?” Adrien looked dazed. “Is that even possible?”

She shook her head. “The wish doesn’t seem to work that way. You may get something, but it can only come at a cost. Our powers work in balance, and the combination will only take something away in the process.” Marinette exhaled sharply. “With the powers that we do have, I can’t even imagine what would be of equal value. Or who even would decide that.”

Squeezing her hand, Adrien whispered, “I can’t believe I didn’t see it.”

“You weren’t ready to.” Her head leaned against his shoulder. “You couldn’t. I know you well enough to know you only want to see the best in people. Even if they don’t always deserve it.”

“Yes, but he even had the book.” He scrubbed his free hand over his face. 

“If we assume your father at least knows…”

His eyes narrowed. “There is nothing that goes on that Nathalie doesn’t know about.”

“Your bodyguard? Can he be trusted?” 

“He’ll protect me. Any more than that, and I can’t really be sure.”

Marinette’s eyes narrowed. “We’re going to hold a Graduation Party at the Agreste Manor. He can try, but he can't watch _all_ of us....”

Adrien nodded. His father wasn’t going to let him do anything. Of course, given the fact that the man rarely spoke to him directly, he was ready, especially when it came to him acting like a parent. Now, he was entirely willing to extend him the same level of courtesy. “He won’t be able to keep everyone out. No matter what he decides to try.”

“Better yet, we will all go in as civilians.” Marinette grinned. “We have the element of surprise, and a ready fighting force already within the castle walls.”

Chuckling darkly, Adrien leaned his golden head against hers. “I just have to return to my tower and survive until then.”

“I can’t say I’m happy about it. You and Plagg can be on guard for the next week until the last day of school, but at least Plagg can nap in your bag during the day. ” She stood up, ruffling his hair with a yawn. “Thank goodness you are a much better actor than I could ever be.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “Where am I supposed to sleep then? Or _when_...”

“We’ll help you sneak in naps at school and after when we can.” Pacing on the rooftop, Marinette wrinkled up her nose. “I think my mom has a really nice tea downstairs that might also help you sleep, if you get too worried.” 

His eyes trailed after her as she headed back to her skylight door. 

“Wait here,” she assured. “I’ll be right back.”

Nodding, Adrien watched her go, knowing even as tired as she was, Marinette would always follow through.

She was the one, true constant left in his life.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to JuliaFC, Pizzaaa, and Enberlight for their beta reading help.
> 
> I may tinker a little further with this chapter later, but nothing of substance will change.

After the evening’s battle, Chat Noir snuck back inside through his window. Given everything he now knew, he had spent a little while longer lingering with Ladybug, as long as she would let him.

He wasn’t exactly in a hurry to get home, and now he knew he had to be far more careful than he’d ever thought.

Stealing his way down to the kitchen, he brought Nathalie some tea Marinette had sent him home with, to help him sleep as much as he could in this house. There was nothing else to sweeten the way forward -- perhaps literally -- to help to bring Nathalie around to advocate on his behalf.

Her endless cold left a very interesting possibility to play the gesture off as nothing more than a thank you for all she had done to help him get into school.

Only a small cup of the night-time tea had been enough to allow him to sleep... as much as he could in this house.

Considering how quickly it worked on him, it was sure to knock her out quickly. 

Adrien sighed. He didn’t _really_ want to resort to dirty tricks, but he had no choice. It wasn’t like he could be sure who else he could trust…

She had long acted as his Father’s eyes and ears. If she was well and truly asleep, he could maybe risk letting Plagg sneak around a little as he’d hoped.

* * *

Teacup on a tray in hand, Adrien knocked on her door.

Natalie's voice was muffled. “Come in.”

Squaring his shoulders, he opened the door. He had put this off long enough. 

Plastering a sweet smile on the face, he walked in, setting the tray on her bedside table. “I heard you were coughing earlier. One of my friends at school mentioned this type of tea could help.”

After Nathalie’s usually sharp gaze had softened, Adrien knew there would be no better time to take a chance.

“Can I have a few friends over?” He pleaded. “I know Father won’t let me go to everyone else’s parties. Surely having something here would be safer, right?”

With a heavy sigh -- and a heavier cough -- Nathalie shook her head. “I’m sorry, Adrien. Unfortunately, you know your father is not going to approve.”

Shoulders slumping with a weary sigh, Adrien tried not to betray just how heartbroken he truly was. Nodding somberly, he headed back into the darkened hall.

He knew then that she couldn’t be trusted. Whether or not she was in on the plot, he suspected she would tell his father anything.

There was too much to hide in order to keep _her_ safe… to keep everyone safe.

Back in the safety of his room, he started to plan.

If there was one thing Marinette had taught him, it was that there was always another way.

* * *

Before their final day of classes, Marinette arrived early. She even pulled Nino aside when he first arrived. “Can I ask you something?”

Nino nodded. “Of course!”

Marinette grinned. “How did you all manage to get past Adrien’s bodyguard that one time?”

Nino chuckled. “The big guy has a soft spot for superhero action figures.”

She grinned victoriously. “Think you can get a few more in the next week?”

Nino scoffed. “You think we didn’t pick up a few in New York? His Bodyguard did not do well on the plane…”

* * *

In the end, Adrien could only invite a few people to “celebrate” their graduation. 

Sad as he was, he decided it was best not to invite Chloe. She was still his oldest friend, and she had managed to teach him a few valuable lessons, even if it was sometimes in spite of herself. But in the end, this was more of a mission than a celebration. There would be time for that later.

Max was one of Adrien’s first attendees, and thankfully one who could arrive without much difficulty. With the help of Markov, Max hacked the cameras, putting some things on loop where he could. Nathalie for one. Once Markov had things well in hand, he transformed. 

They couldn’t trust the front door, so Ladybug had arranged for Pegasus to help ferry in everyone they would need.

Rena Rouge was there soon after, making a mimic of Adrien himself just in case someone came in. Carapace arrived only a few moments later. “You’re getting so much better at that, babe.”

Rena chuckled, trying to stay focused. “Thanks.” 

Alix was there too, her hand lingering on the watch in her pocket. Just in case.

Anything that they could do to stay safe, the better.

* * *

Plagg had done some advanced scouting, but Adrien didn’t want to put his Kwami at risk. Too much depended on him. 

Neither were sleeping well, and it did seem like his father did actually sleep sometime.

Following Plagg’s instructions, Viperion and Ryuuko took point, leading Ladybug and Chat Noir down into Gabriel’s office. Determined, Viperion strode right to Emilie’s painting, fingers slipping into a precise pattern.

Chat Noir glanced over at Ladybug in silent question. Clearly, it had taken them several loops, but with Viperion leading the way, they at least knew they’d eventually make progress.

Neither expected the floor to pull away to reveal a hidden elevator. It was fairly small, only big enough that two of them could travel down together. 

Ryuuko didn’t hesitate. Viperion only did for a moment, glancing back at Ladybug to be sure. 

Ladybug nodded. “Go ahead. But be ready for anything.”

For a tense minute, she and Chat Noir waited, hand and hand. Their eyes darting back and forth between the elevator door and the door behind them.

When the elevator door opened again, they stepped inside. Immediately, the lift lurched sliding downwards into a cavernous room beneath the house. 

Viperion set his hand on Ladybug’s shoulder, squeezing it. “Stay with him. He’s going to need it.”

Somberly, Ladybug nodded, lingering at Chat Noir’s side. 

As if in a trance, he lurched forward, whimpering as he recognized the honey gold hair. “ _Mom…_ ”

Ryuuko shot a look at Chat Noir but held her watch close to Viperion.

There could be no doubt then. They'd found it. His mother looked almost enshrined, encased inside some sort of glass tomb. From here there was no real way to tell whether she was alive and breathing or not. 

She frowned, spotting all the mechanical bits around the edge of the case. It wasn’t clear at all if they would learn anything more even if they managed to get closer. 

Hugging her partner fiercely, Ladybug held him back. He was breathing deeply. “You can’t go up there, _Chaton_.” 

He glanced back over his shoulder, frowning.

Ladybug bit her lip. She had only seen that pained look on his face once before… when everything felt hopeless for them both on that ill-fated school trip. 

“I’m not sure that Max could cut any cameras down here, if they exist. I’m not even sure if we _can_ help her right now.”

Tears slid down his cheeks. “If anyone could…”

“Once we can plan…” One arms still firmly encircled around him, Ladybug murmured reassuringly. “I promise.” With her free hand, she tossed Ryuuko her open yoyo. “Do me a favor?”

Ryukko caught it easily. “What do you need?”

“I need a few pictures as proof.” 

Ryuuko nodded.

“We need to go. _Now_.” Viperion hissed.

Tugging his hand, she pulled Chat Noir away, racing across the uneven stone back toward the elevator. It all would all be for nothing if Hawkmoth caught them here and now.

* * *

No one wanted to linger in that house. 

Pegasus moved quickly, carrying the team one by one to their darkened, empty classroom.

Chat Noir sat in his familiar desk, resignedly pressing his head against the cool surface.

“Where in Paris was _safe_ from Hawkmoth?” he murmured.

“Right under his nose.” Ladybug was at his side before he realized. “At least, he’d like to believe as much.”

As the minutes ticked by, Pegasus brought holder after holder into the classroom. Even some who hadn’t been in his house earlier.

The only one not transformed was Alix. Her eyes widened, peering in awe at the watch in her hand that had started to tick.

Struggling not to cry, Chat Noir looked around in the dark, entirely surrounded by the friends he had made along the way.

Ladybug walked to the front of the classroom, smiling sadly at everyone. “Thank you all for coming.”

Silently, he watched her, waiting for some sign telegraphing her next move.

Looking straight at him with a smile, she murmured. “Spots, off.”

The glow of pink magic spiralled around her.

Gasps and murmurs surrounded him, but he could barely notice.

He only saw her, nodding at him quietly.

Exhaling slowly, he called for Plagg to release his powers, too.

The gasps grew louder still. Mask after mask after mask fell, revealing a familiar face hiding behind it.

The tears now fell unchecked, as more than a few pulled him into a giant bear hug. 

“Finally, we know what we are up against,” Marinette spoke softly, but they all stopped, marking her words. “We now know why everything is such a crazy standstill, and we finally have some way to stop all the misery.”

Even as the others had shifted away to give him a little room, Nino hung close by, a hand on Adrien's shoulder.

“It’s going to be hard to stay positive, but we all must.” Marinette faced them all, Adrien’s hand squeezed in hers. “I don’t have a plan. Not yet.”

He nodded, squeezing her hand back. 

Marinette’s head shifted back to the rest of their friends. “You all need to be ready to move. And soon.” 

* * *

As everyone turned home, Miraculous now finally, _firmly_ in hand, there was one more plan they needed to make. 

Marinette had stayed with him, cuddled up beside each other in her chaise for hours. Her head resting on his shoulder, fingers laced between his. “I’m not going to let you go back home.”

He snorted. “Plagg wouldn’t let me, even if you did.”

She glanced over at him. Knowing what they now knew, she was even more worried about him. She couldn’t imagine everything that must be going through his head right now.

“It doesn’t have to be here.” She hugged him tightly. “Any one of us will let you stay, especially if their parents will agree.”

His shoulders drooped. “I’ll go somewhere else… if I’m going to be a bother.”

“You won’t,” she answered without hesitation. “I’m just not going to be able to rest until we clip your father’s wings.” She smirked sadly. “And I know you’re just going to force me to rest instead.”

“I’m sorry.” 

She snuggled back against his chest. “Don’t be.”

* * *

After a quick call to Nino, Adrien had a place to rest for the night. 

Still, he lingered at her side for as long as she let him...until the clock was far past midnight.

“If everything feels like it gets to be too much,” She murmured as he prepared to duck out onto her balcony and into the night, “I don’t want you to hesitate to call.”

Chat smiled, glowing green eyes glimmering in the darkness. “You’re just a button press away.”

“I’ll come running,” she smirked. “Even if Tikki has to tug me out of bed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From here on in, there are daily updates.
> 
> We're nearly done!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Enberlight and JuliaFC for beta reading!

“It’s okay, Nathalie,” Adrien murmured, head ducked as he stopped at the front door. He had come home, but only to dress and stock up on more Camembert for Plagg. 

“We both know father won’t actually be there.”

* * *

Marinette was getting ready. How many times had she made something, hoping to impress Gabriel Agreste and help pave the way for her future career?

For whole months on end, she had planned, ready to unfold a design that would surely get his attention.

Now she knew it wasn’t her dress that was sure to do it. Regardless, anything would work if it managed to pull him out of his hidey hole. 

Adrien would never let her down. Not if he could help it.

But his father?

Marinette scowled. Gabriel had spent the past few years letting him down and locking him away in an ivory tower. She couldn’t help it. She was furious on Adrien’s behalf.

But Adrien had saved himself. He had saved everyone, over and over.

She thought she had loved him before, when he just had been an awkward and sweet boy offering his umbrella, allaying her own fears of another year of persistent bullying. 

When he had beamed and praised and just wanted to be near her, no matter how awkward she managed to get.

When he had just been the friend, standing right at her side all along to fight to save the city.

But no. He had done it, in spite of an indifferent father. He had done it because there was unfailing kindness in his heart. He had mustered far more control than even she had given him credit for. That was why she couldn’t afford to fail now.

She had already spoken to Luka and Kagami. They wouldn’t be at the ceremony, though both wanted to be. They were looking for his Kwami...or his lair. Seeking an advantage. They had gone the wrong way last time.

Kagami could strike fast, but neither were about to take any chances. Adrien would leave his window unlocked, to pave the way inside. His father really hadn’t noticed he hadn’t been in his room much at all. Of course, that was telling and depressing in its own way.

But neither Luka or Kagami would be safe to try to sneak back in. Not unless Gabriel actually was in the audience. 

To her credit, after only a little bit of convincing from Adrien, Chloe prodded her father to use his influence. “It’s bad form not to show up to one of these things,” the Mayor had urged in a private message. “Especially as I will be there, all of Paris will watch...and take notice.”

* * *

The first thing she did, as soon as she got to the auditorium, was to find Adrien. She would feel better after she gave him a hug. 

“Are you okay?” she whispered.

Adrien leaned into her touch, pulling away again only after she did. "I've been managing." He shrugged.

Blinking, he glanced down at her dress. “That’s a good color on you.” He chuckled as he said that.

She grinned, letting the movement allow just the slightest bit of a twirl in the crimson skirt. “I thought you might approve.”

His brows rose, noting her usual floral motif was there, if a bit darker than usual. “You made it?”

She smiled, lingering close beside him. But not _too_ close. She couldn’t afford to get distracted. Not when they were so close. “I was worried enough that I had to keep busy.”

Glancing out into the crowd, she spotted Nadia and Manon, sitting right beside her parents and grandparents.

The Gorilla was also in the audience. Smiling, or as close as he ever seemed to be able to do.

Office Roger was seated beside the Mayor, who sat on the far side of Gabriel and Nathalie. 

Marinette inhaled deeply. As class president, she had been asked to write a short speech, talking about how the class had thrived in spite of the rough year of attacks. Weeks ago, it just felt like one more thing to worry about.

Luckily, she had gotten really good at making speeches for some reason.

“Unlike every class before, this class has triumphed against adversity. Nearly every member of this class has been Akumatized. Nearly everyone has suffered personally due to Hawkmoth. Unlike the villain who has hidden away like a hermit, controlling every person he could…”

She smiled, continuing on. 

Gabriel's scowl was evident, even from rows away in the audience. 

As soon as Gabriel stood, clearly intent on leaving rather than to take her pointedly accurate barbs, Officer Roger had been ready for him.

Silently, Marinette thanked Sabrina for warning her father, as Officer Roger quickly snapped the cuffs across his wrists, escorting him out into the lobby.

The Gorilla blocked Nathalie’s easy escape.

Hastily, she wrapped up her speech, chasing Adrien as he rushed off backstage.

* * *

If anyone was surprised when Chat Noir and Ladybug appeared rushing to the scene so quickly, no one mentioned it. 

Gabriel barked out a command to Officer Roger, “Get me out of here.”

Officer Roger merely raised his brows, stepping back as Chat Noir and Ladybug faced off against him, imposing in spite of their slight height. 

“Hand your Miraculous over.” Ladybug’s tone brooked no argument.

Not surprisingly, Gabriel seemed unwilling to comply. “You will never take it from me,” he shouted, flailing wildly despite the handcuffs. “You will never understand what I am trying to do.”

Setting his jaw, Chat Noir leaned closer, one claw gripping his father’s arm. He hissed low enough that only the villain could hear. “Nothing you could say would make up for the sight of Mother’s body lying in the basement.”

Shock and anger warred on Gabriel’s face. Howling madly in his grief and rage, he struggled all the more furiously against the cuffs.

Ladybug hemmed him in. “You could have asked for help. You could have even created heroes to help you find the answers and solutions you needed. Instead you went the other way.” Her eyes narrowed. “I’m not saying we won’t help to bring her back, if it is possible without risking anyone else. I know what it would mean to everyone to have her back.”

Bowing his head, Chat drew ever closer to her side as she spoke. “Paris cannot afford to take any more. The people need time to heal.”

Chat Noir stood up straight, owning every centimeter of growth he’d managed without his father watching. “The police will confiscate your jewelry. But all of this can only go better if you give it up yourself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final installment will definitely be out tomorrow evening! :D


	22. Chapter 22

With Nadia Chamack in the audience, it hadn’t taken long for all of Paris to find out. The public pressure campaign was swift with an arrest and search of Agreste Manor.

Far more somber than he’d ever expected he would be on the evening of his graduation, Adrien sat in the austere, interrogation room at police headquarters, across from a pair of detectives. With a weary sigh, he signed the paper in front of him, confirming the details of his statement as the lawyer who had been appointed to advocate for him looked on. 

His little charm buzzed at his hip. “Do you need anything more from me now?”

“Not today, Adrien.” The older man was gruff. “Your Father’s personal effects are all in evidence for now. Once we’ve gone through them all, you can come back in with your guardian to file to take anything you will need home.” 

The younger detective smiled ruefully. “Do you...have a place to stay?” 

Adrien smiled ruefully. “I could stay at the mansion, but the house is a bit eerie, considering. I have a bunch of friends whose parents have offered to take me in for a few days. And I’ll reach out to my Aunt in a little while. But until then, my bodyguard can check in on me.” 

“After we’re satisfied that he wasn’t involved,” the detective replied.

Nodding, Adrien smiled, walking briskly towards the door. 

The detective cleared his throat. “Just one more question, if you don’t mind.”

Wincing, Adrien felt the flutter of the Ladybug in his pocket. He plastered on a smile, suddenly very anxious to get away as fast as possible. “Sure.”

“How are you holding up this well?”

Adrien’s shoulders slumped. “I spent two years watching him harass nearly every friend I have. All the while, I had recitals and competitions and parent days at school. He… he was too busy for every single one. I started to realize that he had given up on me, a long while ago, no matter how much I worked and managed to achieve. Meanwhile, those friends — those same ones he had tormented — they were able to show me I could stand up without him.”

The older man looked stunned at the admission. “I’m so sorry…”

Adrien shrugged. “If it’s alright, I’d like to get back to my friends.”

The detective nodded. “Sure.”

He didn’t hesitate, opening the door and rushing down the labyrinthine hallways.

Right now, he was anxious to get to the one place that actually felt like home.

* * *

Ladybug was standing alone up on the tower.

He burned an AstroChat transformation, to get to her as fast as he could.

Her eyes lit up when she saw him. Propelling forward, he was eager to be back at her side.

“How are you holding up?”

“As well as can be expected.”

Her hand rested on the side of the helmet. "I'm glad you're okay."

“Why did you get him without a fight?" Chat murmured. "I figured we were in for a long, drawn out battle.”

Her nose wrinkled up adorably. "I knew it was _possible._ But I hoped it wouldn’t be necessary."

“Why?” His head tilted into her hand.

"Because I love you, Adrien. Because I didn’t want you to have to go through that. It’s hard enough..." Ladybug shook her head. 

He just gaped at her. “What?” He breathed, green eyes wide behind the mask.

“Because I know what your father means to you, and it should be up to you what kind of meaning he continues to have in your life.” She pouted, angry on his behalf. “He shouldn't have kept it from you. No one would work harder to bring your mother back.”

His half-hearted grin said more than he dared. "I'm not sure he would have ever allowed things to go anyways but the way he decided was acceptable for an Agreste."

"He's an adult. He should have known better. We _told_ him the wish was too much of a problem. We don’t know who or what it's possible to use in exchange, but you and I both know how strong our Kwamis really are.” Ladybug worried her lip, leaning into his touch as he steadied her. “In the end, I just couldn’t bear to risk anyone. Least of all you.”

“No… I... I understood all that. I know very well how you think.” Chat smiled, leaning closer to her. “And don’t think I don't appreciate that, too, my Lady. But… I think my brain may have stopped. Did you just say _you loved me_?"

She blushed prettily, peering up at the Moon. “What do you think, Chaton?”

He snorted. “I think you’ve been telling me for ages that you loved _another_ boy.”

She nodded, smiling softly, peering over at him out of the corner of her eyes. “I did. A blond with green eyes, who offered me his kindness and his umbrella when I’d had the worst possible impression of him.”

AstroChat Noir simply gaped at her. “You’re kidding.”

Smirking softly, she shook her head, setting her head upon his shoulder. “I must have tried to confess a few hundred times at least. But every time went astray. The number of times I’ve forgotten to sign things...”

She sighed sadly. “I figured it was just my own rotten luck.”

Her wistful tone turned more serious. “I even made him this baby blue scarf. Even went to his house to give it to him directly… only that time I didn’t even get to see him when I brought it over. I was turned away at the door.”

“He wouldn’t have turned you away.” His arm lifted, squeezing her other shoulder. “Not _if_ he knew.”

“I know that. _Now_.”

He stroked her arms, comfortingly. He was sad for her, but nothing could dampen the force of the smile on his face.

“And I saw what it meant for him to think that scarf had come from someone else.”

Chat Noir pouted, leaning slightly closer to her. “You really should have told me, My Lady.”

“I just wanted you to be happy.” She shrugged. “I didn’t know as much about you then, but I knew you needed more in your life.”

“How did I get to be so lucky?” His breath caught in his throat, as he gazed right into her eyes, barely daring to blink. “I only ever thought you wanted to be my friend.” 

“That was part of why I took a risk trying to bring it to you myself. I haven’t done it very often, but that time I used my powers for my own selfish reason.” She shook her head, shutting her eyes closed. “Bunnyx found me almost immediately. She pulled me through time. To find you. And what was left of Paris after you had been Akumatized.”

He pulled her into his arms, into the tightest hug his wings would allow. 

“That didn’t happen. It couldn’t.” Her head pressed against his chest as she whispered the words right to his heart. “Only because I wouldn’t let it. _Not again_.”

“I’m so sorry…” He murmured, over and over.

“And you.” She winced. “Chat, you were _terrifying_. I almost gave up hope that _you_ were still hiding away inside there. The Akumatization and Plagg’s power combined were more destructive than anything else I have ever seen. When Bunnyx sent me through, all of Paris was under water and the moon looked massive and broken.”

Her words left him trembling, but he only held her more tightly.

“I found myself, frozen in place under the water...right beside Hawkmoth. But everything else…” She shrugged, her shoulders slumping under the weight of this particular secret. “Chat Blanc only revealed one thing, and it haunted my nightmares for months. He told me that it was _our love_ that destroyed the world.”

His eyes closed, a pained expression pinching his face when she dared to peer up at him.

She exhaled. “It seemed impossibly cruel. That somehow… giving a _beret_ to that boy I liked — as Ladybug — was the catalyst for me to fall in love with my partner.” 

She inhaled slowly, searching for just the right words as his eyes shot open.

Holding still, his face started to shine as she could see him put all of the pieces she laid out together. “ _Marinette_ ,” he breathed.

Clearing her throat, she swallowed. She didn’t blink. She didn’t dare. “If not for that other boy, I knew it was possible. After all, my partner was my best friend. I just didn’t dare look at it too closely.”

His dark glove cupped her cheek. “And I didn’t want to look at anyone else. It was so hard to do. Not while Ladybug was there beside me.”

Smiling, she leaned into his touch.

His gaze sharpened. “I have to ask. Why is it so different now?”

She leaned forward, peering into his eyes. “Because now, that isn’t possible. Not anymore The powers are out of Hawkmoth’s hands.”

Close as she was, she noticed him gulp. “And your partner?”

Tapping her lip thoughtfully, she fought the urge to smile. As if it was even remotely a tough decision. “My partner? Well, I really never stopped loving him. And the world had tried, over and over again, to get to him, but it hasn’t ended yet.”

“So is it safe?”

She smiled, putting her hand in his. “It is now. After all, if we’re still around in the future when we fight Timetagger, then it means someone else will bring the fight to Paris.”

AstroChat smirked. “When they come, we’ll be ready for them.”

Grinning, she squeezed his hand in wordless agreement. She tilted her head, it was so nice not having to bear the weight of endless secrets alone, especially after so long. “Any other questions?”

Thoughtfully, he furrowed his brows, pondering her words in silence. Little by little, hints of delighted mischief began lighting his glowing green gaze. “I think I’ve only got one: Will you dance with me, My Lady?” 

She giggled merrily, as he bowed slightly and lifted her hand, then laughed harder when he pouted, realizing he couldn’t press her gloved knuckles to his lips. “There’s no music…”

His charming smirk returned, one hand over his heart as the other was extended out to her. “Isn’t there?”

WIth a rueful grin, she watched as he lifted her hands up onto his shoulders and more firmly supported her waist. Keeping her securely in his embrace as his jet pack lifted them both above the skies of Paris, bathed in the light of the moon. 

Smiling, she leaned into him, letting her head settle against his shoulder, breathing in the heady mix of night air and romance and him. It was only after they had taken a few turns around that she realized that she didn’t just _feel_ like she was walking on air.

Chat had lifted them both up off of the tower, floating in the air between the sparkle of Paris and the sea of stars, the lights of the Tower dimming against the glow of the moon above.

“What are you doing, Chat Noir?” She chuckled, pulling away from him just to see his face.

“Just making up for lost time.” His soft, sweet smile left her heart skipping more than a few beats.

Luckily for them both, the years had only made her heart more courageous. She managed the impossible, over and over with him by her side.

She leaned up, pressing her lips to his helmet, right in front of his mouth, leaving an imprint just where he could see it.

“That’s not even fair,” he whimpered, glancing down as her lips pulled away, curving into a slow smile. “I can’t even take the helmet off until I get your back on solid ground.”

“Well,” Ladybug smiled coyly, pulling herself closer by weaving her arms around his shoulders. “For the first time in a very long while, I’ve got nowhere else to be.”

“Really?” His grin grew boyishly crooked, more dazzling than it had been on any of the many magazine covers he’d graced. His soft sigh left a foggy imprint as he leaned his head to hers, helmet to forehead.

Ladybug beamed at him. “Until the music stops, there’s nowhere else, I’d rather be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alexa: Play "The Final Countdown"
> 
> So here it is, what I've been anxiously awaiting to post since...September, I think?
> 
> A big thank you to Enberlight and JuliaFC for beta reading and helping to polish this up for me. 
> 
> Now that you have reached the end of this tale, go and [reblog Masilvi's amazing art.](https://overworkedunderwhelmed.tumblr.com/post/643595475959857152/chapter-22-excerpt)


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